RAT's Emissary
by 7caleb7
Summary: When the various characters of the Robin Appreciation Topic find themselves in the middle of a SubSpace invasion, will they be able to assemble once again to take it on? Dedicated to RAT. This is the plot of Super Smash Bros. Brawl's story mode: SubSpace Emissary. All characters included are copyrighted by their respective companies.
1. Ch 1: A Challenger Approaches!

_Ay, waddup, my dudes. Remember how I hardly even touched my last story? Yeah, well I've been working on this idea which is a little easier on my soul. It features numerous characters throughout a lot of video games (mostly Fire Emblem), and it's basically just the plot of Subspace Emissary from Super Smash Bros. Brawl. Yeah, remember that game? Anyway, here's the first chapter! Please enjoy this work of fiction dedicated to that little group on the internet known as the Robin Appreciation Topic. Please enjoy!_

* * *

 **Chapter 1: A Challenger Approaches!**

The illustrious winds raged on in the floating stadium, revealing the intense altitude. The crowd's cheers were deafening. Many fans in the stands sported flags of their favorite contestants. Today's battle was nearing its beginning.

Today was the Day of Challenging. Every six months, a special day is held for any contestant that wishes to challenge the king in a colosseum. If the challenger wins, they are rewarded with the grand prize of ten million coins. As per usual, two special guests were invited to spectate the match. The princess and the king's spouse stood on the blue platform of the floating stadium.

 _ **Lucina | Robin**_

The white-haired tactician looked around at the roaring crowd with a gentle smile on his face. He knew that his husband could never lose. The princess gave a welcoming wave to everybody looking on. She knew that her father could never lose.

A screaming uproar erupted from the crowd as the king himself walked onto the platform. His blue hair waved with the wind while a hand waved to the spectators of the stadium. The famed king had arrived!

 _ **Chrom**_

His hand slid down to the sheathed sword on his side. Chrom's hand gripped onto the handle as he smiled brightly to the crowd. His undefeated status gave him unlimited admiration. There was a sudden hush in the crowd, though, when Chrom stumbled over his own feet and tripped onto the ground.

The king hurriedly jumped back up with a nervous smile and a bead of anxious sweat on his face. From the opposite side of the stage, a silhouette formed in the entrance of the blue platform. Chrom couldn't make the figure out, but they were huge. Their muscles bulged out of their arms, signifying a beastly man. His bandana blew with the breeze. His massive sword rested on his shoulder. His cape fluttered.

Robin's eyes widened when they fell upon the man. "That's..." he muttered to himself with a tone of concern. The tactician's heart sank when he realized who the beastly challenger was. There was only one man it could possibly be. "That's the Radiant Hero of Legend...!"

Lucina's expression immediately changed to match Robin's. "You don't mean...!?"

The man at the entrance began walking onto the blue platform. His left arm swayed at his side as his right arm rested the gigantic sword on his shoulder. The Radiant Hero of Legend strolled onto the stage as his eyes shifted around the fanatic crowd. Naturally, they gave another uproar when he came into view. They had only heard stories of this man.

 _ **Ike**_

"Ike...?" Chrom muttered as he glared at the humongous man. Chrom had never seen this man in person. Legends of this person had been rumored for ages. Though, both Robin and Lucina had encountered Ike before.

"So, you're the king I've been hearing all about!" Ike called out as he motioned towards Chrom. He was friendly, but there was a tinge of boldness in his voice. "I've heard stories of your feats. You've made quite a reputation for yourself!"

Chrom couldn't help but gulp. He turned to Robin and Lucina, as if he was calling for help. However, he had to face the challenger. Those were the rules. "A-Ah, thank you?" he responded without much confidence. "My family has told me a lot about you, actually."

Ike was nearing closer with a grand smile on his face. "Ah, right! Robin, Lucina, congrats on your marriages!" he called out to the two guests. "Wait, Lucina, where's your groom...? I was hoping to reunite with my fellow musketeer once more, haha!"

"He's... um..." Lucina tried to answer, but honestly, she had no idea. He was supposed to be at the stadium with them, but it appears that he skipped out. Oh well... nothing new, really. "He's on his own accords!" she answered with a forced smile.

"Bummer..." Ike muttered as his head dropped. There was actually a hint of disappointment in his voice, as if he was anticipating the reunion. "Well, when you see him again, tell him I said congratulations! And... that I hope he's doing well!"

"At this rate, you'll see him again before I do..." Lucina mumbled to herself.

Chrom was simply watching the interaction. All it was doing, though, was delaying the inevitable. Ike is way out of his league...! How is he supposed to battle a legend? Chrom was shaking in his boots, not removing his hand from the sword's hilt.

"You know, this floating stadium thing was pretty difficult to get to, in all honesty," Ike mentioned to no one in particular. "I had to use that old hippie van to even get up here in the first place."

Robin chuckled to himself, "I almost forgot about Jamal."

Ike looked at Robin as he continued to walk towards Chrom, "Actually, its name is J4M4L."

Lucina wore a confused expression as if she was questioning her entire existence. "How does one even pronounce that...?"

"Anyway," Ike continued as he turned his attention back to Chrom, "If we're being honest here, I don't really wanna fight you. I just came to say 'hey' to a couple friends." Ike motioned towards the two spectators. "But... I'm sure you've been looking forward to this, so I guess I can't let you down. Out of respect for your glory, Chrom..." Ike's massive sword was lifted from his shoulder, twirling it with a heavy spin until driving it into the blue ground of the platform, "I will honor this battle."

Chrom gulped once again. He forced a confident look, but he was dying on the inside. Did Ike really schedule this just to reunite with a couple of friends!? Really!? "I see," Chrom responded. "Though, if you really do not wish to fight, I will gladly comply–"

"No, no," Ike answered immediately, "I am a man of my word. Let's duel!"

"V...Very well..." Chrom mumbled as he unsheathed the magnificent Falchion. The grand sword glimmered in the pleasant sunlight. Ike smirked and pulled his Ragnell from the ground, leaving a divot in the platform. He held the enormous sword with a single arm, showing off his superhuman strength. Chrom couldn't help but tremble. Maybe... if Ike's sword was so heavy, then it would be slow. So maybe Chrom can outplay the other swordsman with speed!

Robin and Lucina were glad to have their long friend back, but they were also concerned for Chrom. Chrom was clearly outmatched. Though, there wasn't anything they could do other than watch. As usual, Robin stepped forward with his Levin sword raised into the air. "Let the battle commence!" he exclaimed as the sword swung downward.

On the massive jumbotron of the stadium, still images of Chrom and Ike appeared beside each other with 'VS.' plastered between them. A fiery background blazed behind the images for the whole crowd to see. The audience went crazy, cheering for either the king or the challenger. Chrom and Ike looked each other in the eye as they listened to the uproar. In a simultaneous spurt, the two swordsmen dashed towards one another. Robin and Lucina watched on as Ragnell and the Falchion clashed together.

* * *

With Lucina's spouse missing from the event, there was one more prince that was skipping out. There were more important matters to attend to. A young man was sitting on his couch, watching the screen in front of him with utmost anticipation. Why would he want to be a special guest at his adoptive father's battle when the World Cup championship was airing?

 _ **Pastry**_

"YES!" Pastry yelled as he leaped to his feet. An elongated 'Goal!' from the commentators of the soccer game emitted from the speakers as Pastry hopped around in glee. Finally, finally the United States of America had won the men's World Cup in overtime. And that's why this story is placed in the fiction genre.


	2. Ch 2: The Man In the Mask

_Ay lol. It's me again. As you can see, these scenes will mostly parallel the cutscenes of the Subspace Emissary. Luckily, I'm a few chapters ahead so I can update this story regularly. Erm, relatively regularly, I should say. Yeet yeet._

* * *

 **Chapter 2: The Man In the Mask**

The clanking of swords emitted out of Pastry's screen. Needless to say, there was nothing good on TV after the World Cup ended, so Pastry decided to watch his father's battle with Ike. It was difficult to say who exactly was winning, but Chrom was giving everything he had. The battle was more intriguing than Pastry thought it could be, so he decided to watch for the winner.

* * *

Sweat ran down Robin's face as he watched his husband struggle. Ike was Chrom's greatest foe by far. Ike's swings were too powerful for Chrom to block, so the king was forced to evade every attack. This was troubling, as it was almost impossible to counter this way.

Even though he treated this as a friendly sparring session, Ike wasn't holding back anything. His heavy blows were almost too much for Chrom to handle, but the king was keeping up. Neither swordsman could knock the other off of the blue platform.

Ike's forehead vein bulged as he continued to gain the upper hand through his violent offense. Chrom seemed to evade every attack that was thrown at him, but Ike was convinced that the king would tire out eventually. At the beginning of the match, Chrom would roll out of the way with ease. But now, he was barely scathing by.

Ike swung his Ragnell downward over his head. With not enough time to react, Chrom lifted his Falchion to block the attack. The two swords collided, causing Chrom to stumble backwards. The king tripped over his own feet, though, and fell onto his back. Ike capitalized on this by rushing towards Chrom. Chrom attempted to sit up in a hurry, but Ike kicked him back down. The Radiant Hero of Legend was about to throw his sword in the air for a finishing move, but he hesitated. Something... wasn't right. He didn't have a good feeling.

Sure enough, there were numerous gasps from the crowd. Ike looked up from his downed opponent and surveyed the area. Robin and Lucina were staring in shock at something in the sky. Ike turned to see what exactly they were looking at. The sky above the floating stadium seemed to darken noticeably. There was a deep red that took over the clouds around them. Realizing the seriousness of the situation, Ike turned his attention back to Chrom. The bulky swordsman reached a hand out, and Chrom grabbed it. The king was lifted to his feet, and he watched the absurd scene with everybody else.

As Chrom looked on, he witnessed an airship emerging from the red clouds. Its appearance was like... a floating piece of land? There was a white and purple structure in the center of it that came to a pointed apex. There were other smaller structures that surrounded it. As the levitating airship flew above the stadium, purple particles began dropping from it. Chrom watched with an intimidated expression as billions of the unfamiliar particles fell into the floating stadium.

Now alarmed, Robin and Lucina ran to the two swordsmen. "What do you think it is, Robin?" Chrom asked as he turned to the tactician.

Robin was just as confused as the king. "I-I have no idea," he muttered. As the purple particles landed on the blue platform, they began to conjoin. The particles moved to one another and formed numerous humanoids that twitched erratically. The creatures all turned towards the four sword-wielders and began marching in the group's direction.

"I know that observatory," Ike muttered, "but this isn't right. She wouldn't harm anyone like this. I don't know what these things are." As the mercenary spoke, Robin and Lucina held their weapons tightly. They were ready to battle alongside the two fighters.

"We have to protect the civilians," Lucina stated. "We can't let any of these creatures get to them." The grotesque humanoids began gaining speed. Some of the humanoids wielded weapons, such as guns and boomerangs. New creatures formed too, such as faced clouds with electric batteries.

Robin pulled a book with a lightning bolt on the cover out of his black robe. "Ike, you guard the right flank. Lucina, the left. Chrom and I can maintain the middle ground. I should be able to take down any aerial enemies with my tomes as well. Don't hesitate to kill any of them." Robin paused, sighing with dismay. "It's a shame that our sons aren't here, but we must play with the hand that we were dealt. I only see about fifty of them, and they don't seem too threatening. If you get pushed, get pushed towards the middle. It would be best to stay near each other with this type of terrain. Make sure to watch out for distant projectiles."

"Still as clever as ever," Ike remarked as he readied himself to guard the right flank. "I'm not one for violence, but... I will always fight for my friends." With those last words, Ike dashed towards one of the humanoids with his sword in hand.

Giving a nod of assurance, Lucina dashed in the opposite direction. A war cry leaped out of her mouth, and she jumped into the air, bringing her sword down on one of the humanoids as purple particles flew from it.

"And to think that I was just about to defeat Ike..." Chrom muttered as he shook his head, "Can't a guy get a break?"

Robin scoffed, "He was about to slice you like minced meat. Though, I guess this does mean that you're still undefeated since he never technically knocked you out."

"Oh, please! I had him on the ropes!" Chrom replied as he put his back against Robin's. The particle army was nearing closer and closer.

"If by 'had him on the ropes' you mean 'was about to be killed by his finishing blow' then yes I would agree," Robin responded as his eyes glanced over all of the enemies.

"Eh, I guess you just saw that battle differently," Chrom said as he shrugged. A yellow boomerang was hurled their way, but Chrom deflected it. "Looks like we're back to battling armies..."

"Thunder!" Robin yelled as he conjured electric magic that pierced one of the cloud enemies. "I guess we're supposed to be serious now?"

Chrom's Falchion decapitated one of the humanoids. "Heh. But only for a little bit!" he added.

The group of sword-wielders battled the army of minions. The aircraft was still just above the stadium, but it wasn't giving out anymore particles. Ike's heavy hits knocked the humanoids away with ease. Lucina's precise sword swings were dominating her opponents. Chrom's fury of swipes slaughtered every enemy in his path. Robin's tomes sniped every aerial foe.

Finally, Chrom sliced the last enemy in half as it faded away in a purple mist. The group was left standing in a circle, breathing heavily from the battle that took place. "Huh?" Robin voiced out. His attention was caught by the floating figure that was approaching from above. The figure was cloaked in a robe that covered their face, so he was unable to identify the figure. Soon, the other three had spotted it as well.

"Hello there!" the figure greeted as it neared. The voice was robotic and metallic, as if it was being masked. "Apologies for crashing the party, but deeds had to be done. I just had to come down here myself to see the four of you again!"

Chrom sneered as he clenched his jaw, "What's with people going to unnecessary lengths just to drop in?" he mumbled to himself, referring to Ike's challenge.

"And... who are you, exactly?" Ike inquired. "S-Sorry, but I'm not sure I recognize you."

"Oh, Ike..." the figure muttered as its head shook, "that's the point of the cloak." The figure's tone became significantly more condescending. The figure was levitating atop what seemed like a giant sphere with a red 'X' plastered on the front. The figure dropped the sphere, and it landed with a heavy thud. Chrom and Ike tightened their grips on their respective swords, preparing themselves for whatever mystery this ominous sphere was about to reveal. Two robotic bears came out from behind the metallic sphere, both half black and half white with a red eye. Claws protruded out of their hands, and they stuck them into the sphere on either side.

With a nod, the cloaked figure watched the group as it began to fly away. It flew into the distance towards the aircraft that was stationed just above the floating stadium. Lucina glanced at the figure, squinting at it in an attempt to identify it. Though unsuccessful, Lucina noticed something green fluttering down out of the figure's cloak. It was a piece of paper, it was... it was a dollar bill? "Huh...?" she questioned as she watched the dollar falling. Her attention was grabbed by the metal sphere that just dropped, though.

The two bears pulled on the sphere against one another, opening the silver sphere to reveal a countdown. The four sword-wielders gasped: this sphere was a bomb. The timer had been set to ten minutes.

Reacting quickly, Chrom dashed towards the bomb with his sword in hand. Ike followed right behind him. Right before Chrom could slice the robotic bears, a giant rumble shook the entire stadium. Ike and Chrom both stopped in their tracks, turning around to see what could have possibly caused the tremor. Robin and Lucina both turned around as well, only to see an opaque cloud of dust. They could only see the vague silhouette of something... huge. The four of them stared at the puff of smoke, trying to make out what kind of monster was waiting for them.

Suddenly, in the blink of an eye, a cannonball was launched right between Robin and Lucina. The ball grazed past them at supersonic speed. The cannonball passed Ike as well, but Chrom wasn't so lucky. With a sharp gasp, the king was hit by the cannonball, causing him to launch away.

"CHROM!" Ike yelled in fear. It was no use, though, as the blue-haired swordsman was already out of view. All that was left was Chrom's pained yelling. Turning back around, Ike was met with another horrid sight.

"I-Ike—!" Lucina exclaimed in desperation. Distracted by the cannonball, Robin and Lucina had been captured by the monster. Locked in cages, the two of them were scrambling to get out. The Radiant Hero of Legend ran back to them, only for their cages to slam against each other. The two royal figures fell in their cages as the monster pulled them apart and gave an ear-splitting scream towards Ike. That's when Ike finally saw what exactly this monster was. It was Petey Piranha.


	3. Ch 3: The Betrayal of Petey

_Hey, everyone! I'm back with the weekly chapter. In retrospect, I didn't realize that a few little cutscenes could take so many words to write out. But hey, live an learn, right? Thank you for tuning in for this chapter, and I hope you have a great rest of the week! And remember: reviews are great tools to let me get better at writing._

* * *

 **Chapter 3: The Betrayal of Petey**

"Just...! Just save Robin!" Lucina shouted to Ike. Petey Piranha glanced down at Lucina's cage before shaking it violently, causing the princess to fall with a grunt.

"I'm not leaving 'til both of you are out of there..." Ike mumbled to himself as he surveyed the two captives. His eyes shifted back-and-forth, as well as looking for a weak spot on the giant carnivorous plant. Ike's sword bounced in his hand, ready to strike at any second. "Hey there!" Ike called to Petey, "I really don't wanna hurt you, but, uhhh, I fight for my friends! And those two guys are my friends, so if you would just be as kind as to let them go, that would be greatly apprecia—"

The beastly flower leaned forward and let out a deafening scream at the mercenary. Ike winced at the volume, holding up his left hand in an attempt to block the harsh wind that came out of Petey's mouth. After the plant stopped screeching, Ike's hand slowly dropped.

"N-Not much of a talker, huh?" Ike asked nervously as he stepped forward. "That's... That's fine! We can just—"

Yet another Petey scream.

"O-Okay!" Ike replied. He took another step forward. This wasn't going to be as easy as he thought it would be. "Ummm..." he mumbled as he stepped closer, trying to find a peaceful resolution. "Do you want to trade? I can give you something for my friends back?" he asked.

Petey opened its mouth to let out another screech, but he hesitated. Instead, he leaned back, as if he was interested in what Ike had to offer.

"Yeah!" Ike continued, "You want some, uhh... candy? Hugs? Friendship? There's a lot of those that I can offer!" The mercenary's sword was lowered at this point. He was steadily walking towards Petey with a welcoming smile on his face. Petey responded by giving a smile of his own.

Now he's getting somewhere. "I'm known to give some mighty nice hugs!" Ike remarked. "You're okay, buddy! Here, you put my friends down, a-and I'll give you the best hug I've ever given!"

Petey nodded excitedly at first, but he soon hesitated. He looked down at the two cages, and his head shook. It was as if he wasn't allowed to put the cages down. It was as if Petey was conflicted with himself.

"Remember the plan, Petey!" a feminine voice ordered. A young woman came out from behind the beastly plant with a massive cannon resting on her shoulder. The cannon looked like a black gun with many purple marks and lines across it.

 _ **Monster Hunterer**_

"Hunts...!?" Ike exclaimed, confused by the girl's sudden appearance. His smile was replaced with a look of concern. He knew that Hunts was a wildcard, but... has she truly gone haywire?

Petey reacted to Hunts' words by lowering his head. With a short sniffle, Petey looked at the two cages he was holding. Robin and Lucina looked back up at him with fear in their eyes. Petey shook his head as he muttered, "Gra..." The beastly plant raised his head again. He leaned towards Ike and gave a bellowing scream once more.

"I don't wanna fight you!" Ike yelled over the plant's scream. Ike looked at the monster with pity written across his face. Petey wasn't a bad guy... Petey was being forced to do bad things.

"Too bad, hahahaha!" Hunts yelled back as she stood on the sidelines. "I really wanna see this happen! Go ahead, Petey! Take 'em out!"

Following orders, the plant raised Robin's cage and swung it in Ike's direction. With a sharp gasp, Ike dove out of the way, barely dodging the sudden attack. With a tinge of regret, Ike charged at the beast. He didn't want to hurt Petey, but he also didn't want to lose Robin and Lucina. Petey responded by swinging Lucina's cage at him. Ike saw this coming, so he jumped. As the cage neared him, Ike landed on it and used it for leverage, leaping towards Petey and swinging Ragnell at him.

The sword hit Petey, causing him to flinch. Ike landed behind the plant and proceeded to charge again. Petey turned around, but it was too late. Ike attacked the plant's leg, and Petey fell over from the strike. "Aether...!" Ike yelled as he tossed his sword into the air. As the sword spun, it cut Petey repeatedly. The mercenary followed up by hopping to his sword and catching it midair. With a few flips, Ike came down with the sword. On his way to the ground, Ike sliced Petey once more.

Hunts grumbled in agitation. She wanted Petey to take care of this. "I should've known he wasn't capable of this..." she said to herself. Her gaze turned to something else: the bomb. "Looks like that SubSpace bomb will take care of all of these guys..." she muttered. "What's the fun in that? I wouldn't even get to see what this gun can do!"

Ike's eyes widened as he saw the cage hurdling towards him at high speeds. The cage connected with him, launching him across the blue platform. The mercenary landed on the ground and tumbled a few yards before finally coming to a stop. He looked up only to see Petey leaping in the air, moments away from crushing Ike. The swordsman hurriedly rolled out of the way as the plant slammed onto the ground beside him.

Hunts' eye was caught by the ticking bomb. Only five minutes remained. "Fine..." Hunts muttered, "I'll do it myself." The girl placed the cannon in front of her, grabbing the handles of it tightly. She looked at the screen in the center, targeting Ike. She couldn't get a clear shot, though, as the mercenary was running around too much. "Hmph."

There it was! An opening! Ike jumped at Petey, swinging his sword with as much strength as he could muster. The sword collided with Robin's cage, causing some of the metal bars to crack. Seeing this as an opportunity, Robin decided to break the cage on his own. He wanted to swing his sword at it, but there wasn't enough room. He had to do what no Fire Emblem character in Smash Bros. had done before. He had to attack without a weapon. Robin lifted his boot, kicking the injured bars with his heel.

Alarmed, Hunts gasped. What? No! Robin can't escape...! She aimed the cannon at his cage, ready to fire when she had a clear shot.

Ike attempted to slash Lucina's cage, but he was knocked back down by Petey. With a grunt of pain, Ike got back up to his feet. As Petey swung Robin's cage at him, Ike leaped into the air and brought his sword downward. The weak bars of Robin's cage became even weaker, and Robin continued to kick with all of his might. With limited time, Ike knew that he couldn't save both of them. The bomb will go off and everybody will perish, including Petey.

Though Ike was unable to break the cages on his own... he might be able to get some assistance. "Hey! Petey! Over here!" he called out to the monstrous plant, waving his hand at him. Petey growled and swung Robin's cage at the swordsman in an attempt to crush him. Ike dove just in the nick of time as Robin's cage slammed onto the platform. With Petey's unmatched strength, the bars shattered, and Robin tumbled out of it. "Yes!" Ike cheered out.

Hunts growled in annoyance. She aimed the dark cannon at Robin and Ike. With a high-pitched whir, the gun powered up. Robin picked up on it, glimpsing at the hostile weapon before yelling, "Watch it!" As Hunts pulled the trigger on one of the handles, a black arrow fired out of the machine. Ike and Robin rolled in opposite directions, and the arrow flew right between them. Robin glimpsed at the ticking bomb and saw that only two minutes remained.

"N-Now get out of here!" Lucina exclaimed. She only wanted those two to be safe. "You've done all you can do!"

Robin may have lost Chrom... but that doesn't mean he will lose Lucina too. She's his favorite child, of course. "Just hang in there, Lucina!" the tactician called out.

Petey prepared to knock Ike away with another swing of a cage. Petey... hesitated. Between Lucina's urgent cries and Ike's unwavering determination, was this truly right? He noticed Hunts firing arrows at the two below. Was the plan really to kill all of them...? The flower looked back, noticing the airship that was still stationed above them. He looked back at the timer that only had sixty seconds left. Even if all of them perished, how would he survive? He can't fly high enough to board that airship. This... was a suicide mission. Petey wanted to let Lucina out of the cage, but how could she survive with such little time to escape anyway? It was too late. He looked down at Lucina's cage, and Lucina was still staring with fear in her eyes. Forty seconds were left on the bomb. Petey mustered up all he could to say one solemn word that resonated within Lucina:

"Sorry..."

Surprised at the carnivorous plant, Lucina's eyes widened. He was... sorry? No, he didn't truly mean any harm. He was only following orders. After Petey muttered the apologetic word, he reeled his arm back, taking aim. Ike and Robin looked up at the monster, and their hearts sank. "No!" they both cried, reaching a hand out. With all of his strength, Petey threw Lucina's cage towards the airship. Lucina reached an arm towards Ike and Robin, until flying into the distance. With that, Petey sighed in relief. He saved Lucina.

"You little brat...!" Hunts screamed at the plant. "That wasn't the plan! Ugh!" After the obnoxious groan, Hunts aimed her cannon at Ike and Robin again. "I can at least take care of these pests..." she muttered as she pulled the trigger again. Reacting quickly, Petey guarded the two swordsmen by blocking the arrow with a giant leaf. Ike and Robin looked up at Petey, realizing what he just did. Petey gave a screech of pain as his leaf began changing into a hue of dark purple. Petey stumbled before falling to the ground, still blocking Ike and Robin from Hunts' view.

Robin looked back at the bomb and saw that there were fifteen seconds remaining. "I-Ike, we need to leave!"

Ike was... mourning. He was on a knee, gently putting a hand on Petey as the plant groaned in agony. "Th...Thank you. I won't forget this..." he muttered with a shaky voice. Tears were lingering in Ike's eyes, but he fought them with everything he had. "Thank you, friend..."

The purple hue began spreading throughout Petey's body, and it kept groaning in pain. Meanwhile, an annoyed Hunts was already escaping. Using a small airship of her own, she jumped on and flew towards the comet observatory floating overhead. "I'll get that cage... I earned that capture, not the boss..."

"Ike, I know this is sentimental, but we really need to leave!" Robin shouted urgently. Ike turned to the tactician and dropped his head. Then, he lifted it again. The swordsman rose to his feet, waving goodbye to Petey as he turned and ran towards the entrance of the stadium.

"Follow me!" Ike commanded, pulling Robin's arm and escorting him out. The bomb had five seconds until detonation. The mercenary let go of Robin and put a hand in his pocket, pulling out a small remote. "It's our only way out of here!" When Ike pressed a button on the remote, two headlights brightened in the entrance's tunnel.

A smile appeared on Robin's face, finding a small sliver of hope. "That's...!"

"Yeah! Hurry and get in!" Ike ran to the driver's side door of the hippie van they just ran to, passing by a tag that read 'J4M4L'. As the two swordsmen hopped in, they heard the sound of the bomb detonating. As the bomb went off, a purple orb began expanding from it rapidly. The orb encompassed everything around it. Rashly, Ike slammed on a red button. "You might wanna hold on for this...!" he warned as two boosters revved up on the van. Following orders, a confused Robin snatched the handle above him, holding on for dear life. The tactician looked in one of the mirrors, noticing the purple mass getting closer. He started to hyperventilate, taking heavy breaths. "Here we go!" Ike yelled as he slammed the gas pedal. In a sudden rush, J4M4L roared like a plane engine, and the boosters sent it flying; literally. The van took off like a jet, soaring away from the stadium.

Robin turned around, watching as the stadium got encompassed by the expanding purple orb. He could feel his heart sinking. What about all of the civilians...? What about Petey? Is Lucina okay?

Is Chrom okay?


	4. Ch 4: Father, Son, & Heisting Hunts

_So, uh, I kinda did not follow through with my weekly upload promise. Oops. On another note, I finally got Smash Bros. Ultimate for Christmas! It's pretty rad in my opinion. I hope you all had a swell break as well! I can't wait to start the new year!_

* * *

 **Chapter 4: The Father, the Son, and the Heisting Hunts**

The entire stadium had been swallowed by the purple entity. Pastry could only stare at his screen in shock after the intense encounters that just took place. The challenge, the airship, the army, the cloaked figure, the bomb, the plant, the girl, the gun, the explosion, the van... the loss of Chrom and Lucina. Pastry saw everything.

"Looks like I should get going..." he muttered to himself. Pastry stood up from his couch and hustled to the doors that led outside of his hideout. As prince, Pastry's only request was to get a cool hangout spot in the sky. People questioned it, but Pastry always cleverly responded with 'Because that's what's up'. The boy tightened his fingerless gloves as he neared the door. Pastry opened it, and he looked over the sea of clouds that the structure had been built on. He took a step onto a cloud, and it held his weight.

According to what Pastry saw, the airship should be nearing this area soon since it was moving in this direction. If his calculations were right, Pastry could easily get on board and check things out for himself. Taking a deep breath, Pastry took off jogging. The prince was adamant about finding this airship. Whatever it was, it had his sister on board.

* * *

Hunts stepped onto the airship that soared through the sky. This... wasn't going to be easy. To infiltrate the ship and kidnap a princess in a cage? Well, it will be worth it. "I don't know why I even agreed to do this stupid mission for that guy, anyway... I'm keeping that princess."

The girl walked around on the floating land mass, surveying where the cage could possibly be. There were many structures and rooms aboard this ship, so it could possibly be anywhere. She had to avoid the captain of the airship as well as the Monokumas' master.

* * *

Lucina's eyes fluttered open, revealing her deep blue orbs. How long had she been asleep...? The princess rubbed her pulsating head. She must've been knocked out. Was it from the rough landing? Yeah... it had to be. Lucina looked around in an attempt to recognize her surroundings. The attempts were fruitless, though, as she couldn't find anything familiar to her, other than the cage that she had been trapped in ever since the attack on the floating stadium. The princess spotted a bookshelf filled with various books, and she also saw a green rocking chair in the dimly lit room. There was a fireplace, but there was no fire.

What the princess did notice, however, was that her cage wasn't on the ground. Instead, it was being hung from the ceiling. When she looked around, she also noticed chains hanging from the ceiling beside her. Perhaps those were for Robin's cage? If that was the case, Lucina could assume that chains were holding her up as well.

Lucina glimpsed around to find anything that she could use to escape, but to no avail. Luckily, she still felt the Falchion at her side. Distraught and defeated, Lucina sat back against the bars of her cage with her legs slightly bent. Loneliness... She hadn't felt this sort of thing in a while. She was used to her family always being with her at every moment. Sure, they all had their annoying habits, but in the end, family was family. What could she do without them? Nothing, apparently. Nothing but rot in a cage by herself. If only Chrom was here. If only Robin was here. If only Pastry was here. If only... her husband was here.

The maiden's head dropped. How disappointing. Not even her not-so-chivalrous knight in shining armor could save her now. She... had to be grateful, though. Petey saved her life, and she recognized it. She's actually quite glad that she didn't have to witness Petey's demise from the bomb. In fact, Lucina is glad that she didn't have to witness anyone's demise. Could Ike and Robin have possibly survived the bomb? With such little time and no way of escape? A part of Lucina wanted to believe in them, but... a bigger part of Lucina didn't. And what about Chrom? She saw her father getting launched away right before her very eyes. Could he have possibly survived that?

* * *

Pastry continued to hustle through the clouds. Every step propelled him further and further along the skyline. He kept his eyes peeled on the clouds before him. He couldn't miss his one opportunity to hop aboard the airship. Faster and faster, Pastry ran. That's when something caught his eye.

Pastry immediately came to a stop. He squinted his eyes, and shielded the beating sun with his hand as a visor over his face. What was that thing? Whatever it was, it was a dark shade of blue, buried in the surface of the clouds. It didn't appear to be moving, so Pastry hustled to it. As he neared closer and closer, the object became clearer and clearer. That object was a body. He recognized the color, too. That color is the color of his father's uniform.

"Chrom!" Pastry yelled out as he approached the motionless body. "Chrom, wake up!" The body seemed like a lifeless corpse, and it very well could have been. Apparently, after the cannonball launched him away, Chrom landed here. Pastry eventually slowed down, kneeling next to Chrom. He placed a hand on the king and gently shook his shoulder. "Hey, uhhh... I know this place is pretty high up, but that doesn't mean your head has to be in the clouds."

The king released a drawn out groan as he shifted on the cloud. Pastry gave a smile and rolled Chrom over onto his back. With another groan, the swordsman brought a hand to his aching forehead. "Agh..." he muttered, slightly wincing. "H...Huh...? Where am I...?" Chrom asked as his eyes began to wander. "This... This isn't heaven, right?"

"Eh, not yet," Pastry responded. After the king finally gained consciousness, Pastry lifted back to his feet and held a hand out for Chrom to grab. "There are better places to take a nap than on the gr—"

"Oh shut it, Pastry," Chrom interrupted harshly. The annoyed swordsman grabbed his son's hand, using it for leverage as he stumbled back onto his feet again. "What is this place...?" he asked as he looked around at the clouds beneath his feet, "Where are the others? Is Robin okay?"

"The tactician magician is fine," Pastry answered as he looked around as well. He didn't wanna miss the airship. "He escaped the stadium with Ike. Lucina, though..." he paused, "Not so good. Petey Piranha hurled a fastball, and let's just say that Lucina's on a first-class cruise on that airship." He continued to look around, "It should be around here any minute now. I was just about to hop aboard."

"Wait... huh?" Chrom asked with a confused expression plastered on his face. "Petey Piranha? Wait, how do you even know all of this? You didn't even bother to show up!"

"You should know that all of your challenge fights are broadcasted. In fact, I think the whole world watched as Ike whooped you to Valhalla and back," Pastry said nonchalantly as his eyes continued to dart around the area. "Oh, and Hunts showed up with this cannon thing. She tried to shoot Ike, Robin, and Lucina with it. So, uh, mark her off the ally list."

Chrom wanted to give a rebuttal, but it was probably no use. Yeah, Ike had him beat. But... it's not that bad, right? Ike is a legend after all! "So... Hunts was behind the invasion?" Chrom asked.

"Well, I wouldn't say that. After all, I have no idea who that floating robot guy was. For all we know, he's the mastermind." Pastry began to walk in a direction, and Chrom followed right alongside him. "I just know that Hunts, Lucina, and that robot bomb guy are back on that airship."

"I see..." Chrom responded as he placed a hand on his Falchion. "And any idea where Robin and Ike may be?"

Pastry shook his head, "Ah, they could be anywhere. I saw them take off in Ike's hippie van. Apparently it can fly now." Pastry looked behind them, making sure he didn't miss anything before facing forward again. "If I had to guess, they're probably chasing after the airship too."

Chrom nodded as he listened to his son's astute eye for detail. "Looks like that is our best bet, then... Though, you said Petey Piranha is on their side? If he's on the airship, then that's going to be a tough roadblock to get through, right?"

"Petey's dead," Pastry responded bluntly. "He fought the others at first, but it looked like he changed sides. He sacrificed himself to save Lucina, then he sacrificed himself again to save Ike and Robin from Hunts's cannon. He just... turned in the middle of the battle. Looked like Hunts was pretty unnerved about it, too."

"That's..." Chrom started as his head dropped, "That's actually pretty sad... Why do you think he was fighting us to begin with, then?" he asked as he lifted his head once more.

"Eh... no idea," the prince answered, "Hunts was bossing him around, though. It's like Petey was only taking orders."

"Maybe he was tricked, or threatened, even," Chrom added. "He's not the smartest guy, but he has a big heart. Surely he wouldn't have attacked us with evil intentions, right? I mean, I'm guessing he realized his wrongdoings, or else he wouldn't have swapped sides on Hunts like that."

"Your guess is as good as mine," Pastry added. "What this means, though, is that these guys have access to some pretty strong fighters. We should be careful, because I don't think we'll be as lucky next time."

"True..." Chrom mumbled as he looked around for the airship as well. "What this also means, however, is that maybe these guys aren't as organized as we thought. Though... neither are we, I suppose."

* * *

Hunts grumbled with annoyance as she hid behind a corner inside one of the airship's structures. She sneaked her way in, but she had a tough time avoiding the various Monokumas on patrol. Technically, she shouldn't be on board. She should be trying to shoot more people with her dark cannon. That was the mission. However... Hunts had crafted another plan for herself. After the fiasco on the stadium, Hunts realized that she shouldn't be working for anybody. She can work for herself.

A shadow of a teddy bear spread across the wall opposite of the doorway she was trying to get into. Ugh... great. Looks like a Monokuma is blocking her way. Whatever. Rolling her eyes in agitation, Hunts simply walked out from behind the corner and nonchalantly kicked the ever-loving despair out of it, sending it flying. The Monokuma slammed against a wall and shattered to mechanical bits. Groaning, Hunts rolled her eyes and entered the library of the comet observatory.

When she entered, a gasp filled Hunts's ears. Looking to see where it came from, her eyes immediately fell upon the cage that was suspended in midair. There, clutching the bars, was none other than Lucina. She was on her knees, but the princess was far from scared. Lucina glared at Hunts with anger.

"Hello, hello," Hunts greeted monotonously. "Before you start yelling like the feisty young woman you are, please take a second to realize that I'm your only chance at getting outta this trashy place. I'm technically not supposed to be here, so if you would please keep your voice down, that would do the both of us a lot of good."

"You killed my father," Lucina responded bluntly, referring to the bomb that detonated with Ike and Robin in the stadium. Her tone was condescending.

"Chill out, will you?" Hunts asked with a hint of sass. "Your father's fine, and so is Ike. I didn't kill anybody. Well, except maybe the plant, but he died willingly," she explained, looking at her nails as if she didn't have a care in the world. The girl then reached into her pocket, pulling out a key. "Here, this will free you from the cage. Don't get any wise ideas, though. I'm the only one of us that knows her way around here, so you should probably stick with me. If you get yourself caught, we're both going down."

"And I should trust you, because...?" Lucina asked skeptically.

"Because nobody is going to free you from this cage anytime soon. I know the end-plan of all of this, and trust me, if you want to see daylight again, or if you want any of your family to see daylight again for that matter, you should probably comply." Hunts was a bit perturbed, but she was being as patient as possible with the rebellious princess.

Seeing no other alternative, Lucina looked away. "Fine," she responded. "But as soon as we get out of here, you'll pay for your crimes."

"Yes, I'm sure," Hunts remarked, walking over to Lucina's cage with the key in hand. As she inserted the key into Lucina's cage, Hunts spoke again, "You know, you're not as threatening when you're helplessly trapped in a cage, I have to say." Hunts turned the key, and Lucina opened the cage. The swordswoman hopped down to the floor and stepped forward, ready to finally escape the airship. "Remember, just stick with me. I'm your only way out of here."


	5. Ch 5: Run, Run

_So, I decided to compensate for the long drought of updates with two chapters in a row. ;) Merry Christmas. Like I said, I'm stocked up pretty well on chapters, I was just too lazy to updat ethe story. Oops. Ah, well, hopefully you'll enjoy this one!_

* * *

 **Chapter 5: Run, Run, As Fast As You Can**

A glimmering sword impaled a Monokuma, causing it to malfunction and, subsequently, be put out of commission. The sword swiftly exited the robot, and Lucina and Hunts continued on their way. "I thought you knew where you were going!" Lucina yelled in a whisper as they hurriedly hustled down a hallway.

"I do!" Hunts whispered back. "We just... have to take a detour! These Monokumas are crawling all over the place, if you couldn't notice! Geez, does that birthmark in your eye hinder your vision or something!?"

"How dare you speak about the Brand of the Exalt that way!" Lucina whispered angrily. "Don't you have respect for the grand—"

"I have respect for nothing!" Hunts quickly remarked. "Just... shut up before you cause more attention!"

Lucina rolled her eyes, "Looks to me that we're too late for that. Why else would all these Monokumas be attacking us? They know we're here." Sure enough, right as the princess finished her statement, three Monokumas turned a corner in a hurry. The two girls quickly stopped and readied themselves for a fight. Claws exited the Monokumas' paws, and they all leapt at Lucina and Hunts. Hunts simply punched one, and it shattered against a near wall. Lucina sliced the remaining two with a clean cut from her Falchion.

Hunts motioned Lucina to follow, and they both hustled down the corridor that the Monokumas came from. As they ran, they were nearing an intersection, and a herd of ten more Monokumas popped out. "Shoot!" Hunts said, turning on a dime and running back the way they came. Lucina followed behind, but she kept her eyes locked onto the Monokumas that were chasing them. Shock was written across Hunts's face as more Monokumas flooded the hallway in the new direction. "We're trapped!" Hunts gasped out, backing away from the new group of oncoming robots.

"Well what're we supposed to do now?" Lucina questioned anxiously, facing the other group of mindless bears. The girls' backs were against each other, and they had no choice but to fight.

"We'll have to punch our way out of this one," Hunts answered confidently. Lucina nodded in acknowledgment, coming up with a plan of attack for the Monokumas that were nearing. Meanwhile, Hunts didn't plan at all. She was done with all of this. As soon as the first Monokuma leapt at her, she punched it away with force. Lucina, on the other hand, relied on her weapon finesse to take care of her first enemy. The princess's dancing blade sliced through various Monokumas, and Hunts's bold strikes blasted the Monokumas away.

* * *

"Are you sure that this is the right spot?" Chrom asked, growing weary of walking for so long. Pastry had been leading them across the sea of clouds, but the airship hadn't come into view yet.

"Unless the airship just spontaneously changed course," Pastry said as he looked back at his father, "then yes, I'm sure." Pastry knew what he saw from the footage. Why would the airship just pass over the stadium in that direction only to turn around? That wouldn't make any sense at all...

"There!" Chrom exclaimed urgently, pointing a finger. Pastry followed the finger and noticed the slender tip of the airship's structure splitting through the clouds. Without a word, Pastry sprinted towards the rising craft. Chrom was behind him, clutching the handle of his sheathed Falchion as he dashed. Pastry pulled a bit further ahead, but Chrom was right with him.

The vessel was coming into view, slowly rising as it soared through the clouds. Knowing their limited time, Pastry didn't let up. There was only a window of time they had to board the ship. The observatory was about half of a mile away, and Pastry's unrelenting determination could go far past that distance.

* * *

A silent figure stared at numerous screens that took up an entire wall. The screens each featured numerous angles of numerous rooms. The figure was watching one screen in particular. "Such a shame this skill had to be wasted," the figure said. Their voice was young and childish, like a boy. However... the voice had no emotion behind it at all. The screen that the figure was watching featured two girls: Lucina and Hunts. They were battling Monokumas that the figure had sent to attack them.

The light of the security screens shined off of the figure's silver helmet. The figure had a short stature, fitting for the voice that came from it. The helmet turned slightly, and the boy spoke again, "The castle is empty after the invasion. The royal guards are terminated. Execute phase two." After he spoke, the boy turned back to the wall of screens.

"Already? Hmm... I should charge extra for the time shift!" a metallic voice stated. The voice was identical to the one that came out of the cloaked figure in the floating stadium.

An annoyed sigh came from the boy. "You will be compensated soon enough," he said. He didn't face the figure at all.

"Then I guess I'll be on my way," the robotic voice responded. The figure was still cloaked in a dark green robe. Various bandages covered their face as if to hide any trace of identity except for a slightly pale complexion around their light red eyes. The height of the figure was a little shorter than the average male, but the hood masked any hair that they could possibly have. The robe hung past their feet, concealing their entire body. No limbs could be seen, if the figure had any at all. They didn't walk, after all. They used the hovering platform that was just wide enough for that person only.

The cloaked figure turned away from the screens, and they hovered towards the exit. Two doors slid open for the figure, and after they exited the room, the doors slid back shut, sealing off any light that leaked through. Only the screens illuminated the dark room.

The pilot of the ship would've been alone if it weren't for a few of his minions wandering around the room. The boy in front of the screens never took his eyes away. That is, until something else caught his attention. The helmet turned to another screen. This one depicted two figures sprinting at full speed. "Dropping in to crash the party?" the boy asked rhetorically. "Wait..." he muttered, looking closer at the screen. As the two runners came closer, he finally recognized them: Pastry and Chrom. "How is he still alive!?" the boy exclaimed in an outburst as his fist slammed onto the desk in front of him. "And there's that little pest..." he muttered with gritted teeth, staring at Pastry.

The boy spun around in his chair, revealing a metal plate that covered one eye and ginger hair that could be slightly seen underneath the silver helmet. "Send in the Primids on port side. Don't let either of those two into this ship at all costs," he ordered sternly. Two figures in pig masks to the boy's right saluted to him, sitting at their computers and pressing various buttons. A variety of creatures appeared on the Pigmasks' monitors. Each creature had a label to go with it. Names such as 'Primids' and 'Spaaks' and 'Roturrets' were assigned to their respective images. Over thirty images appeared, revealing the vast selection of the SubSpace Army.

* * *

"Are you seeing that?" Chrom inquired, still hustling on Pastry's heels. The airship they were chasing had opened a hatch, releasing millions more of the purple particles that originally attacked the stadium. Not only that, but the vessel had changed course. It was now going directly away from the pair of sprinters. Granted, it wasn't moving very fast, but everything just showed that they were discovered.

Pastry didn't respond to his father, but instead, kept pressing on. Speed... Speed... At this point, the particles were trickling onto the clouds. Faster... Faster... The purple entities began clumping together, forming the humanoid army of creatures.

"Pastry...!" Chrom called out, steadily being left behind. "Pastry, we're not going to make it!" Despite his father's warnings, Pastry didn't hesitate. The Primids seem to take a lengthy time to form, so if Pastry could just get to the ship fast enough...!

The prince dashed with all of his speed. He passed through the shower of shadow bugs, weaving and dodging through the forming creatures. "There's not enough time!" Chrom yelled at his stubborn son. "There's...!" as he yelled again, he could feel the sprint beginning to take a toll on him. His legs seemed to get heavier, and his chest began to tighten. "Pastry!" he yelled again.

The humanoids grew more defined, and Pastry still didn't let up. He hurdled the clumps of particles and relied on sheer agility to get him to the airship. With precise timing and accurate coordination, the prince eluded every obstacle. Chrom, on the other hand, was stopped in his tracks. He had already unsheathed the Falchion. He was done with Pastry's ignorant behavior.

As Pastry jumped over another pile of particles, a hand reached out of it and snagged his ankle. Tripping from the contact, Pastry fell to the ground. He tumbled for a bit, eventually rolling to a stop. The prince jumped to his feet, ready to keep running. However, numerous Primids were marching towards him. He tightened his fingerless gloves, prepping himself for the oncoming assault. He... had to accept it. His father was right: there wasn't enough time.

Chrom sliced and diced numerous Primids, cutting them to pieces. His stamina was low, but that didn't stop him. He continued forward, hacking away at any enemy he saw. Pastry was surrounded. The prince breathed steadily, attempting to regulate his heartbeat. He had to focus. It was time to prove his title as the Ultimate Martial Artist.

"See what you've gotten us into?" Chrom asked, backing away from a group of Primids. A Scope Primid fired a round of lasers at the king, but he deflected them with his sword. Chrom rushed forward and impaled the Primid.

"Ah, I'm not Chrom-cerned in the slightest," Pastry responded, showing off his clever wordplay. A Primid pursued the prince and threw a punch. Pastry reacted by swiftly leaning out of the way and using the Primid's own momentum to toss it away. A Sword Primid charged at Pastry as well, but he wasn't fazed. Pastry simply ducked under the beam sword and sweep kicked the Primid, which tripped it. "Well that sure was a great way to *kick* off this fight, huh?"

"This will get old quickly..." Chrom muttered in response to his son's wordplay. The king ran to a Primid, jumping towards it and stabbing the Falchion through its chest.

"Ah, I believe you mean *kick*-ly!" Pastry added before hip tossing a Primid onto the cloud he was standing on, only to curb stomp it soon after.

"I'd rather just let these guys kill me than listen to this," Chrom mumbled.

"What?" Pastry asked rhetorically. "Don't say things like that...! You can't *kick* the bucket just yet, you know!"

* * *

"Don't let up!" Hunts yelled at Lucina. The girls were sprinting for their lives atop the landmass of the airship. A wave of Monokumas and SubSpace minions were chasing after them as they dashed towards Hunts's vehicle.

Lucina could see it. The vehicle was purple. It had a driver's seat and some space right behind it. The space was similar to the bed of a truck. A large mechanical arm was on the very back of it. The princess could practically taste freedom.

"Hop in the back!" Hunts said as she panted. "I'll start it up, a-and then we'll be off of this crappy observatory." She began to laugh, "Haha, the pilot must be pissed that we got through there! Heck yeah!" The vehicle was docked right on the edge of the grassy land. As they got closer, Lucina hopped and tumbled into the bed of the vehicle while Hunts jumped into the seat. With the press of a button, metal bars came out of the sides of the bed and surrounded Lucina, meaning she was caged once again.

"A-Are you kidding me!?" Lucina yelled angrily. "What's this all about!?" The vehicle's engine started up, and it began to hover.

"Oh, I still need you," Hunts responded. "It's just, you're no good to me on the observatory. I need you for a trade." The girl's voice became noticeably more hostile as the vehicle started to move.

"You're a snake, you know that!?" Lucina exclaimed. "And here I thought we were working together!" Hunts used a lever that protruded from her feet to steer the aircraft.

"I said I'd get you off of there. That's what I did," she responded bluntly. With another button press, the vehicle zoomed off of the airship. Lucina rolled back into the bars of the cage from the force of the boost. "Oh, right. Hang tight, by the way."


	6. Ch 6: Geronimo!

**Chapter 6: Geronimo!**

"Tch..." Pastry grumbled, watching the airship flying out of reach. "There go my plans for the weekend," he complained as he folded his arms. Chrom stepped forward next to his son and put a comforting hand on his shoulder. They had taken down all of the enemies, but the army stalled them out until the airship flew at too high of an altitude to jump aboard.

"We tried our best," Chrom stated as his eyes followed the airship. "Granted, though, I don't think we can pursue it on foot. We either need to take a shortcut, or we need to find some kind of aircraft of our own."

Pastry nodded in agreement. "Like that one?" he asked, pointing to something that had just departed from the observatory. Chrom squinted at the object in an attempt to identify whatever it was. "It kinda looks like that cloaked guy from the stadium," Pastry mentioned.

"I think we'd be better off following him," Chrom added, taking another step forward. Just as the duo was about to give chase, something else caught their eyes. It was another object flying towards the observatory. It was white, and it had... wings? It looked like a horse, but... "That's a pegasus!" Chrom exclaimed, watching it dart towards the aircraft. It was ways away from the observatory, but it seemed like the pegasus was gaining ground. "With that rider chasing the aircraft, I think we need to take care of that cloaked man."

"...Fine," Pastry said as he began to hustle in the direction of the departed flier. Chrom rolled his eyes and took a deep breath, preparing himself for another marathon to run. Geez, what's with Pastry's endless stamina?

* * *

"There!" Ike pointed out. Ike and Robin were still inside the flying van. It was Ike's idea to try and find the observatory, to which Robin reluctantly agreed to. It took them awhile, but they had finally located the fleeing ship.

"Are you sure this is a good idea?" Robin asked without much confidence. The thing that almost killed them, and perhaps did kill his husband, is the thing that Ike intended on chasing. It's like the mercenary wanted to get himself killed. Though, Ike was the driver, so Robin didn't have much of a choice.

"Yeah! Lucina's on there, right? We gotta get her back!" Ike answered with a proud smirk on his face. He was happy to fight for his friends. Robin, on the other hand, wanted to find backup before attacking the headquarters of their enemies. Unbeknownst everyone, though, Lucina was already kidnapped by Hunts. Their whereabouts were unknown.

Ike and Robin's eyes were glued on the massive observatory. Were they really about to infiltrate the base? J4M4L was gaining on the observatory quickly. As Robin analyzed the airship, he noticed something moving atop one of the structures. It looked like... a gun? The anti-aircraft gun was turning, and it stopped with the barrels pointed straight at the hippie van. "I-Ike, the guns!" Robin called out in a panic.

Reacting quickly, the swordsman turned the van's steering wheel, causing J4M4L to roll just in time. Yellow lasers fired out of the cannons and barely missed the vehicle. With a grunt, Ike placed a hand on the stick shift and bumped it up to the next gear. The van's boosters shot out a blast of flames which caused the vehicle to speed up. Robin couldn't help but grab the handle above himself again.

"Who's riding that pegasus?" Ike asked, pointing to the majestic creature that was nose diving towards the aircraft. He jerked the wheel again, dodging more lasers.

Robin's eyes lit up when he noticed the winged horse, "Ike, that's—!" Before the tactician could finish answering, one of the two boosters on the van cut off. The sudden change in equilibrium threw the vehicle off course, making it spiral out of control. Robin let out a panicked yell as J4M4L spiraled towards the observatory.

With an intense jolt, the van crashed onto the landmass. It rolled a bit of ways, and Robin's stomach was tossed and turned in every direction. Eventually, J4M4L slowly stopped rolling, stopping as it turned upright onto its wheels. The two males breathed heavily in silence inside of the beaten hippie van. They both looked around and noticed the man on the pegasus again. Just like Ike, he was dodging the blasts from the cannons with his pristine handling skills.

The man had crimson hair and wielded a lance. His attention was on the anti-aircraft cannons, and it was as if he didn't even notice the van. The pegasus swooped down towards Ike and Robin, causing both of their eyes to widen in fear. Ike hurriedly shifted gears to go in reverse, and he slammed on the gas pedal. The sky knight was already about to dodge them, however, by overshooting the van. When J4M4L, went in reverse, though, it caused the pegasus to ram right into Ike and Robin. Through the broken windows, they heard the pegasus rider grunting in shock.

Since the swordsmen were already going backwards, the sudden assist of the heavy pegasus threw the van into the air. It went overboard. Ike and Robin proceeded to yell once again. They yelled at the top of their lungs as J4M4L plummeted through the clouds below. As the vehicle flipped uncontrollably, they also noticed the pegasus rider plummeting as well. Looks like every assault on the observatory had been foiled.

Robin held onto his handle for dear life as J4M4L continued to plummet. "Ike, do something!" Robin exclaimed as he watched every moment of his life flashing before his eyes.

"One of the boosters is down, there's nothing I can do!" Ike yelled back. "There's no gaining control of this thing now! It can't fly anymore!"

"Just use the booster we still have!" Robin screamed back in a panic. "I-I just wanna go home..." the tactician whined as he clenched his eyes. He knew he was about to die in this tumbling machine of death.

Taking in Robin's words, Ike hurriedly shifted gears. He pressed the booster button again, and the second booster revved up. The mercenary stepped on the gas pedal as fire shot out of the remaining booster. As J4M4L neared the earth below, Ike looked for anything he could use as a landing pad. Sure enough, he noticed a body of water. "That's our only chance..." Ike muttered to himself. He turned the steering wheel in an attempt to gain control of J4M4L for just enough direction to land in the water.

Robin still had his eyes clenched. He didn't want to see the carnage of this crash landing as his last sight. Using the single booster, Ike managed to direct the hippie van towards the water. "Here we go...!" Ike yelled nervously as they neared the water. Three... Two... One...

When the vehicle collided with the water, the whiplash caused both of the males to lose consciousness. Ike's head was thrown violently, and everything went black. Water began to pour in from the broken windows. The van sank slowly but surely. The swordsmen were left unconscious inside of the sinking vessel.

* * *

A blue beam sliced a Primid's head clean off as it dissolved into purple particles. The beam proceeded to cut through numerous other Primids that were surrounding a certain blond male. He somersaulted behind a giant Primid before leaping high into the air and pierced its chest with a red beam. The big Primid stumbled backwards before falling. Just before it hit the ground, it dissolved just like the rest of them. The male landed on the ground, and the beam retracted back into a red sword with a circular hole just above the handle. The blond male had taken down the group of enemies.

 _ **Shulk**_

"How are you doing up there?" he asked in his British accent, turning towards the tree line of the jungle. Sitting in one of the trees was a swirly-eyed Spinda. He wore a cape that featured a Pikachu-styled hood and a lightning tail that protruded out of the bottom. The Spinda was about to answer, but he lost his balance. With a quick yelp, he fell, but Shulk hurriedly ran underneath the tree and caught him. The swordsman placed the Pokémon on the ground and smiled.

 _ **Epictale**_

"Spin, Spin!" Epictale cheered joyfully as he smiled at Shulk. Shulk chuckled and patted the Pokémon on his head. It was a good thing that Shulk found Epictale when he did. If it wasn't for Shulk's protection, these monsters lurking around the jungle would have killed the innocent creature. As for why Shulk is in the jungle in the first place? He noticed the swarm of enemies marching into the location, and Shulk decided to investigate. The swordsman didn't recognize the evil foes, so he wanted to get to the bottom of things.

The pair began to stroll in a direction. Shulk made certain to maintain a tight grip on his Monado in the event of a surprise attack. Ever since he saved Epictale from a group of Primids, the Pokémon insisted on joining Shulk's trek through the jungle. The Pokémon was alone, and he didn't want to die that way. He followed orders as well, carrying out Shulk's plan for Epictale to hide in the trees whenever there was an encounter with any monstrous creatures.

As they walked, Shulk noticed a clearing in the trees. The two walked towards it, only to find themselves at the edge of a cliff. "Heheh," Shulk chuckled, a smile forming at his lips. "It's a cluff." Epictale looked up at the swordsman in confusion. After all, the Pokémon always heard of it as a 'cliff'. "Oh, um," Shulk started, his smile fading a bit, "It's an old joke with a few of my old friends..." The blond's head turned away as he got lost in thought. His old friends... Where were they? Are they seeing what he's seeing? Are they in trouble?

"Spin!" Epictale voiced out, hopping repeatedly and pointing downward. It broke Shulk's train of thought, and he stepped forward to see what Epictale was looking at. Indeed, there was a green hovercraft that was speeding along a trail. The vehicle was piloted by a Primid, and numerous SubSpace entities were stationed in the bed of it. The hovercraft was similar to Hunts', except there wasn't a mechanical arm on the back. There were two massive cannons.

Another Primid jumped to the two cannons and flipped them over. Shulk's eyes widened at the realization that they were pointed right at him and Epictale. Three missiles shot out of the cannons at high speeds, and the pair had hardly any time to react. Shulk dove out of the way, but Epictale was frozen. He began to stumble with a panicked dizziness. By the grace of Lady Luck herself, Epictale's stumbling allowed him to dodge all three of the explosions on the cliffside. Looks like being a klutz can have its perks after all!

Moving quickly, Shulk used his Monado to cut an enormous leaf off of one of the exotic jungle trees. The leaf was just about the size of his own body, except a little wider. "C'mon!" Shulk said as he snatched Epictale. Epictale clang to Shulk's back tightly as the swordsman ran towards the edge of the cliff. As he neared the ledge, Shulk held the leaf by its stem and jumped onto it. "H-Hold on!" Shulk shouted as they rode the leaf down the cliff. Epictale couldn't help but clench his eyes as they plummeted towards the ground. The terrain of the cliffside was jagged, but the leaf helped them slide down it.

They eventually reached the bottom, but the landing wasn't superb. The two tumbled after the rough encounter, rolling on the ground and flopping on their stomachs. They each laid there for a few seconds until Shulk hurriedly jumped to his feet and ran to Epictale. The blond snatched the Pokémon again and placed him on his own back like a backpack once more. With a huff, Shulk began hustling towards the direction that the hovercraft went. He needed to find their base.


	7. Ch 7: Monado Arts

**Chapter 7: Monado Arts**

Silence. Nothing could be heard, save for the calming bird calls of the jungle. A gentle breeze rustled the tree leaves. The ambience was serene. Nature was at work, painting the mural of a scenic jungle. There was a patch of empty land surrounded by the sky-scraping trees. In the middle of the land was a green hovercraft. It was parked, and the driver was beside it. In fact, all of the SubSpace creatures that were aboard the hovercraft were now standing guard.

"Backslash!" Shulk shouted, slicing one of the Primids in half from behind. The sudden noise interrupted the silence, and chaos ensued immediately. The creatures turned their attention to the swordsman, but Shulk was all too ready for this moment. "Airslash!" he shouted again, uppercutting a sentient cloud that had just been diving towards him. Shulk followed up with a second midair slash that cut the Spaak into particles.

The blond landed in a three-point stance, lifting his head to analyze the oncoming enemies. There was a pudgy, ram-like creature that was hurriedly approaching. Shulk hopped, timing his jump so that he stabbed the ram as it passed behind him. Just as planned, a blue beam propelled out of his Monado and impaled the Towtow just as it ran past. The beam soon retracted back into the red sword as the swordsman prepared for another attack.

This time, a gray enemy rolled on the ground towards Shulk. Shulk squatted and swung the Monado as a blue beam propelled outward, slicing the Glire before it could attack. Next up was a giant, metallic chicken. The Ticken jumped above Shulk as fire began to surround its lower body. Before it could crush him, Shulk rolled out of the way. He followed up by lunging the Monado towards the enemy and piercing it with a blue beam that ejected out of it. The metal plating was damaged and crumbled to pieces while a yellow chick from within it fled into the jungle.

Following the pattern, Shulk sliced, penetrated, and pummeled the remaining enemies. That is, except for one more. This enemy towered over the others. There were two wheels underneath it that allowed the massive, obsidian black round body to maneuver. Atop the bomb-like appearance was a mounted red head with two yellow eyes. Two gigantic scythes acted as the creatures arms. This SubSpace enemy was a Greap.

A blue beam ejected out of the sword again, and Shulk gripped his Monado with both hands as he glared at the towering enemy. His eyebrows furrowed, and he clenched his jaw. The Greap lifted its two scythes, bringing them both down with force. Shulk jumped towards its head as he turned his body to dodge right between the weaponized arms. As the Greap's arms lodged themselves into the earthy ground, Shulk swung his sword at the enemy's head. The blond landed behind the Greap, preparing to attack it from behind. The SubSpace foe had other intentions, though. As Shulk leaped in its direction, the Greap quickly jerked a scythe out of the ground as the momentum carried the back of the scythe overhead. The dull side connected with Shulk and knocked him to the ground. The Greap dislodged the second scythe and swung it at the downed swordsman.

Shulk hurriedly rolled, but the scythe pierced his jacket, immobilizing him. The swordsman tugged, but he couldn't squirm his way out. His eyes widened as the Greap lifted the other scythe, preparing to end Shulk's life with a fatal blow. Shulk clenched his eyes, expecting a disgusting gushing sound to follow. However, he heard the battle cry of a Pokémon instead. Epictale leaped down from the tree he was stationed in with a fist raised. Epictale used Sucker Punch! Critical hit!

Epictale's attack caused the Greap to lose its balance. It fell onto its side, and Epictale fell as well. Now that the scythe was removed, Shulk jumped to his feet. Taking advantage of Epictale's sneak attack, Shulk leaped towards the Greap's head, shouting "Backslash!" as he lowered the sword's beam onto it. The Greap faded away into shadow bugs. With all of the enemies defeated, Shulk placed the Monado onto his back. He strolled over to the Spinda that saved his life and held a hand up. Epictale happily hopped and high-fived him.

"Way to go!" Shulk exclaimed, grinning down at the Pokémon. Then, he turned his attention to the still hovercraft. The male walked over to it, trying to analyze it. It wasn't like anything he had ever seen before... Why was it here? Why did the driver park it here? Shulk glimpsed around at his surroundings. "Odd..." he mumbled to himself. Just as the boy was about to climb aboard, he heard something rustling in the greenery around them. Upon reaction, Shulk snatched his Monado again. He held it in his hands, allowing the blade to exit out of the sword. As he prepared to fight, a blue light flashed in his eyes. With a confused gasp, Shulk stumbled backwards.

A distorted image contorted in and out of Shulk's head. He was having... a vision. It depicted Epictale preparing to fight someone in the very spot they were standing in. It was a girl with blue and pink hair. She held a dark cannon, black with purple outlining. A dark arrow fired out of it and collided with the Pokémon, causing him to shout in agony. A black aura overtook Epictale, causing his spiraled eyes to glow a bright yellow. The Spinda turned around and immediately lunged at Shulk, the girl cackling maniacally in the background.

"A-Ah...!" Shulk voiced out as he snapped back to reality. "Epictale!" he shouted, sprinting towards the Pokémon. As the Spinda turned towards him, a girl jumped out of the trees with a dark cannon in hand. The cannon revved up, and Shulk hurriedly dove at Epictale. The blond tackled the Pokémon out of the way as they both hit the ground while an arrow darted by them. "Run!" Shulk yelled, pointing in a direction, "Run now!"

The girl gave a giggle. "Ah, Shulk. Been awhile, hm?" she asked with a charm. Her hair was split into two twin pigtails, while her blue bangs covered her right eye. Her left eye glared with a ruby red tint. A cream top and a black skirt, the girl stared with a hint of bloodlust in her intimidating expression.

 _ **Peri**_

Epictale got to his feet, slowly backing away with a panicked look on his face. The poor Pokémon was scared. Meanwhile, Shulk stood up as well, gripping the Monado tightly. "Not the reunion I was expecting..." he responded. At this point, he was stalling for Epictale to flee, but he didn't want to make anything obvious.

"Not to be a bother, but! I need to take the both of you out!" Peri's malicious statement was paired with a cute smile, proving her unmasked insanity. Epictale was backing away, but he didn't want to leave Shulk here to die. Could Shulk survive this?

"May I ask why?" Shulk questioned with a nervous smile. "Do you know what this is all about? Do you know where these things came from?" The swordsman assumed they were evil, so does this mean that Peri was working with them? Oh, no... That's not good.

Before answering, Peri charged the dark cannon again. "If only I could answer!" she responded with a cheery voice. "But, they said I wasn't allowed to answer questions, so... Sorry, Shulk!" Peri pulled the trigger on one of the handles, but Shulk sidestepped just in time. The black arrow flew past him. The swordsman groaned in annoyance and charged at Peri. As he neared, Peri let go of the cannon and pulled a lance of her own. "Silly Monado Boy! Lances beat swords!"

Ignoring her unnecessary banter, Shulk swung the Monado's blade towards her. Peri wielded her lance with two hands, blocking the blue beam. "I said run! Go!" Shulk shouted at Epictale. The Pokémon was frozen, unsure of what to do.

"Kyahahaha! Run if you'd like!" Peri added, glimpsing towards the Pokémon with a carefree attitude even though she was engaged in a deadly battle. She got her footing and proceeded to shove Shulk away, twirling the lance around and pointing it at the swordsman. The two darted at each other, but Shulk slid underneath Peri's stab with her lance. The blond followed up by swinging the Monado at her, but Peri dodged it.

The two opponents were locked in a heated fight. They traded attacks, but neither of them could land a solid hit. Back and forth, they both used their combat expertise to counter each other. The fight was seemingly equal, but it appeared as though Shulk was holding back. It was almost as if... he didn't want to hurt his former friend. Epictale watched on, still backing away from the fight.

With her thirst for killing, Peri gained the upper hand. With various kicks and jabs, the girl was overtaking Shulk. Then, out of the trees, more SubSpace enemies began running into the fray. Epictale gasped in shock, yelling "Spin!" to warn his protector. Shulk spun his head around to see the enemies, and his stomach dropped. He charged at the oncoming enemies to take care of them first. If he could just kill them, then it would be a fair fight for Peri! If he could just move fast enough...!

Epictale wanted to help, but he didn't want to disobey Shulk. The Pokémon could feel himself starting to run away from the scene, but his eyes were glued on the fight. He noticed Shulk get knocked to the ground. He noticed Peri taking control of the cannon again. He noticed Shulk kicking and scratching to stay alive. He noticed... Peri firing an arrow... He noticed... Shulk screaming in pain... as he turned... into an evil version of himself...

* * *

"GET OVER HERE, MR. ROBOTO!" Pastry shouted, sprinting at full speed with Chrom by his side. They were finally on land after following the cloaked figure down from the clouds. And now, they were both hot on the figure's trail.

"FOR THE LOVE OF NAGA, LEAVE ME ALONE!" the figure yelled back, hovering just out of reach from the two males. "JUST MIND YOUR OWN BUSINESS!" it added in its usual robotic voice. The figure was being pursued ever since it departed from the observatory, and the two chasers were more than persistent.

"Where are you headed!?" Chrom questioned. They were running along a dirt path with green grass on either side. The terrain was smooth, but there were short hills that surrounded them.

"And who the heck are you!?" Pastry asked after his father. "Machine or mannequin? With parts made in Japan? Are you the modren man?!"

Chrom looked at Pastry, "Wait, it's 'modren'? I thought the lyric was 'modern'?" The king seemed to forget about the chase in general, more concerned with this immense revelation.

"You didn't know that?" Pastry asked, "Wow." Their casual conversation was annoying the cloaked figure even more.

"Enough!" it yelled, turning around to face the pursuers as it continued to hover away from them. "Don't you two have anything better to do!?" The figure began rising, lifting higher and higher out of reach.

"Aw, c'mon, don't leave the party just yet!" Pastry called out as he saw the figure levitating in the distance. This guy was their only lead. Without the figure, they would be lost. "H-Hey!" Chrom didn't want to lose the cloaked figure either. It was carrying another metallic bomb underneath the hovering platform, and there was no telling where its next destination was. All Chrom knew was that... they were all heading in the direction of the royal family's home.


	8. Ch 8: Servant to No Other

**Chapter 8: Servant to No Other**

Epictale was running through the jungle. Every noise and sound caused the Spinda to flinch. He was scared. He just witnessed his savior die right in front of him. Peri's words resonated within him: "Run if you'd like!" She was going to find him, and she wasn't going to hesitate to kill Epictale too. His paranoia was taking over as he ran in the direction that Shulk told him to flee. Faster... Faster...

Eventually, Epictale tripped over a tree root, and he tumbled into a clearing. He found himself on the outskirts of the jungle. "Spin?" he questioned, glimpsing around at the scenery. There was a lake before him and a wall of trees behind him. Beside him, though... There was a white horse. No! A pegasus! It was lying on the ground as if it was sleeping. As Epictale strolled towards it to investigate, a voice caught his attention.

"Ah, Peri said that one escaped!" a young voice called out. Chills went down the Pokémon's spine as he turned around to face the source of the voice. Two feet landed on the ground. The person was wearing a black tunic, and a pair of black wings were on the boy's back. His black hair and crimson eyes were matched with the Silver Bow that he wielded. The person's name... was Dark Pit. "She also said that it was a puny little stinker that can't defend itself!"

Epictale listened to the fallen angel's words. Puny? The Pokémon dropped his head in despair, but it was short-lived. No... 'puny' Pokémon can't take down Greaps! Only the strongest of Pokémon can do that! Epictale frowned and glared at Dark Pit with determination. He wasn't going to run away this time. He was ready to fight.

"Ah, whatever," Dark Pit mumbled with an eye roll. "Let's get this over with..." The boy pulled his Silver Bow taut as a purple light arrow formed. Taking aim, he released the arrow. The projectile honed in close, but the Spinda used its own dizziness to dodge it. "Oh, bug off!" Dark Pit yelled as he pulled back another arrow. One after another, he began firing numerous arrows in rapid succession. It was no match for Epictale's dizziness, though, as the Pokémon stumbled out of the way of every shot. "Tch," Dark Pit grumbled as he lowered his weapon.

"The heck is going on over here?" another voice called out from behind Epictale. The two opponents glimpsed at the male who asked the question only to find a crimson-haired sky knight next to the pegasus. He wielded a lance of his own, and he wasn't afraid to use it if necessary.

 _ **Subaki**_

"Nobody mentioned you..." Dark Pit grumbled with a sneer. "Whatever, two birds with one stone, right?" The angel separated his bow into two blades, holding them in each hand. He got in a fighting stance, preparing himself for the upcoming battle.

"What're you, a neanderthal?" Subaki asked with an agitated tone. "Why are you fighting everything that you see?"

"I'll be the last man standing!" Dark Pit called out as he shadow sliced with his dual blades. His motivation was unwavering. "You stand no chance against the—!"

Subaki sighed in annoyance, interrupting Dark Pit's words. "You sicken my perfect ears. Will you please consider shutting up before you hurt yourself?" he asked nonchalantly.

Dark Pit growled before speaking up again, "How dare you insult the—!"

"Did you not just hear my perfect, soothing voice? Away with you, please. Do all of us a favor," Subaki added, waving his hand around as he leaned on his lance. "Your words are nothing but ants, and lets assume that I'm the boot. Now, leave before you get squashed? Today is not the day to test me. I'm not in a testing mood at the moment, if it wasn't quite clear enough for your dull mind to comprehend, you caveman."

Dark Pit wanted to say something, but he couldn't think of an insult. He was too busy recovering from Subaki's brutal words. What's this dude's problem? Ah, screw it! He'll shut up after Dark Pit takes care of him! "Let's dance, then!" the fallen angel shouted.

"Very well, I suppose." Subaki picked his lance out of the ground and walked a bit closer to the challenger. "Let's hope your corpse isn't dropped when they carry you to your grave. We don't need your body to be bruised up anymore than it needs to be after this..."

At this point, Epictale was getting out of the way. Sure, he wanted to battle Dark Pit as well, but it looked like these two egos had a lot of beef to settle. He moved towards Subaki, taking his side in this fight. Dark Pit began sprinting at the sky knight with evil intentions. "You'll die!" he yelled.

"...Not today," Subaki muttered quietly. Then, he turned around with a hand reached out. "Here!" he commanded, and his pegasus raced towards him. The pegasus glided by, and Subaki hopped on after grabbing onto the reigns. The pegasus flapped its wings, and the duo did a backflip before charging towards Dark Pit. Subaki gripped onto his lance with a tight hold as the opponents encountered each other.

Subaki threw the first attack with his lance targeted right at the fallen angel. Dark Pit responded by maneuvering around the weapon and cutting the pegasus with one of his blades. The pegasus gave a pained neigh before Subaki yelled, "Easy now!" The pegasus circled around and charged at Dark Pit once more. The boy spun out of the way of the animal, but Subaki was ready. Dark Pit may have dodged the pegasus, but he couldn't dodge the trap that Subaki laid down. The sky knight pierced Dark Pit's shoulder with his lance, earning a yelp of pain.

Dark Pit fell onto the ground, clutching his bleeding shoulder with his bow in his other hand. As Subaki flew down for the finishing blow, Dark Pit rolled out of the way. The pegasus landed, and Dark Pit shot an arrow at it. If he could take down the pegasus, Subaki should be easy. The light arrow pierced the pegasus, causing it to kick up onto its hind legs in pain. Subaki would've been thrown off if it weren't for his perfect, iron grip on the reigns. "Watch it, kid!" Subaki yelled angrily. He didn't want the pegasus to suffer for this fight.

"You know, I kinda feel bad for it!" Dark Pit said as he achingly rose to his feet. "Having to take orders from such a lousy rider and all. Me? I'm a free spirit! I'm not some... slave that mindlessly listens to a higher-up that'll get me hurt in battle! I'm a free spirit!" The fallen angel exclaimed proudly. Dark Pit pulled another arrow back as he took aim, "Such a shame that this animal will just have to be yet another casualty for the boss..."

Subaki glared at Dark Pit. "Free spirit, you say? Never taking orders, you say? The heck do you think you're doing right now?" Before he had a chance to answer, Subaki continued, "You're trying to kill us for your 'boss'? Is that why you're about to kill that helpless creature over there too?" Epictale watched as Subaki motioned towards him. He gulped slightly. "You're an immature hypocrite!" Subaki called out.

"N-No, it's not like that!" Dark Pit yelled back as he lowered his Silver Bow. "It's just...! I...!" He wanted to say something, but he was caught redhanded. "S-Screw you! I won't kill you for the boss, I'll kill you for myself!" With his bold words, Dark Pit aimed once again. Just before he could release the arrow, a rock hit him in the back of the head. The fallen angel spun around angrily, only to see an angry Spinda glaring right back at him.

"Spin! Spin!" Epictale shouted, holding another rock to hurl at him. The Pokémon had enough of Dark Pit's violent behavior. He just wanted everyone to stop fighting.

"See that?" Subaki asked with a confident smirk. "I suggest you let up this ridiculous act. You're pathetic." His cruel words were targeted directly at Dark Pit.

The boy was silent. He only glared at Subaki out of the corner of his red eye. "I'll let you go this time, but next time, you won't be so lucky," he muttered. Right after he spoke, the evil doppelgänger walked back into the jungle.

Subaki sighed, "If only brats like that would walk away in the first place... Geez, what an annoyance." The knight rider petted his pegasus, looking at its wounds. He then turned his attention towards Epictale, "Your help is gratified. Thank you, friend." With those words, Subaki began walking away along the shore of the lake. He nodded towards the Pokémon, giving him a fine farewell.

Epictale's heart was a bit crushed. After all of that, his new friend was just going to leave...? But... But what about Shulk? This friend could help find him and bring Shulk back! He could save Shulk! "Spin, Spin!" Epictale shouted, stumbling towards the departing male.

Subaki paused, looking back at the Spinda with curiosity. "Hm?" he questioned, trying to understand the foreign language. The Pokémon approached the sky knight and tugged on his pants, pointing back towards the jungle with his other arm. "Back into the jungle?" Subaki asked curiously. The Spinda nodded urgently, trying to pull Subaki back. Subaki sighed. He wanted to pursue the flying observatory, but with his pegasus wounded... what good would it do? "I shall lend you my perfect aid," Subaki replied. "What do you need?"

Epictale gave a joyful grin. Though, there was a language barrier. He thought deeply for a moment before looking at Subaki. Epictale raised an arm over his own head waving it horizontally. "Spin..."

"Something... tall?" Subaki questioned, trying to decipher the Pokémon's odd gesture. Epictale nodded in response.

He thought a bit more before pointing at Subaki, "Spin!"

"I am perfectly tall? Ah, yes, so I've heard," Subaki muttered in a boasting manner.

"Spin, spin," Epictale responded, shaking his head. "Spin," he voiced out, pointing at himself as he shook his head. "Spiiiin..." he muttered as he pointed at Subaki while nodding.

"A tall... person?" Subaki questioned.

"Spin? Spin," the Pokémon said as he shrugged. He began to climb up Subaki's body until he was high enough to wave his arm horizontally near Subaki's ear. "Spiiiiiiiin..."

Subaki held his hand at the same height level. "A person about this height?" The male asked as he turned to Epictale.

Epictale jumped down and nodded happily. Then, he calmed down a bit and thought more. The Spinda waddled over to Subaki and tugged on his lance. Subaki noticed this and let go of it. With two hands, and a few sound effects, Epictale swung the lance around as if attacking with it. This was soon put to a halt when he tripped and dropped the lance.

"Was that a sword impression?" Subaki asked, squatting down towards the Pokémon that was lying on the ground. Epictale sat up and nodded excitedly. "Ah, so a person with a sword... Is the person a male or a female?" Subaki asked, as if he was helping a lost child find their parent.

Epictale thought for a moment. How was he supposed to convey the difference between a male and a female with charades!? The Spinda rose to his feet again as he continued thinking. For a split second, his arms were moving towards his legs, but that idea was immediately scrapped, much to Subaki's relief. Ah, light bulb! Epictale stood tall and proud as he attempted to flex his biceps as he yelled, "Spin!" in a shockingly deep voice that slightly startled Subaki.

"A male!" Subaki pointed out. Now that he thought about it, he should've asked the question in a yes-or-no format... Oops. "So, what happened to this male swordsman? Is he in trouble?" Epictale faced Subaki before dropping his head, nodding solemnly. Subaki slowly nodded as he began to understand the situation, "Is he hurt?"

Epictale sniffled audibly before raising his head and nodding. The Pokémon made a pose with a fake pistol like they do in the old action movies, saying "Spin!" every time his arms recoiled from a fake gunshot.

"He was shot!?" Subaki asked in a panic, eyes widening. "This is serious, I'll help you!" The sky knight picked his lance off of the ground and stood up. "Do you think he's still in the jungle?" Subaki asked urgently. Epictale responded by nodding hysterically. Subaki hurriedly snatched Epictale and hopped onto his pegasus. Epictale held tightly around Subaki from behind as the pegasus stood on its hind legs with a neighing battlecry. "Let's get started!"


	9. Ch 9: I Found You, Faker!

**Chapter 9: I Found You, Faker!**

Half an hour had passed while Subaki and Epictale were racing through the jungle. With Epictale's recollection, they used his direction. However... they hadn't found Shulk anywhere. Instead, they were greeted with hostile SubSpace enemies. Just like the others, Subaki and Epictale took care of them relatively easily.

The jungle was too intricate to fly through, so the pair was forced to ride on foot. Subaki's pegasus raced past the trees that they came across. "Spin!" Epictale shouted, pointing towards an open area just ahead. There was a clearing of trees, creating the pocket of grass where Shulk and Epictale had encountered Peri. Noticing the spot, Subaki guided his pegasus into the open area.

Subaki was cautious, looking around his surroundings with a tight grip on his lance. Epictale jumped off of the pegasus and hurriedly ran to the middle. "S-Spin...?" The Spinda questioned with a trembling voice. Everything had disappeared. No Peri. No hovercraft. No enemies. No Shulk. There wasn't a trace of anything even occurring. Subaki couldn't help but look down. He hated to see such a pained tone in an innocent creature's voice. "Spin...! Spin!" Epictale called out as he ran along the edges of the tree line. He was calling out for Shulk.

The sky knight sighed as he proceeded to dismount the pegasus. With his lance in hand, Subaki strolled towards the center of the area. Epictale hurried to him with tears dripping down his cheeks. Subaki knelt down and held an open hand to the Pokémon. Epictale hastily embraced Subaki's shin tightly as he sniffed in sorrow. The crimson-haired lancer placed his open hand on Epictale's back as he sobbed into Subaki's armor. "I know..." the male muttered softly. "Trust me, we will find your friend," Subaki said sternly. There was a tone of grit in his words, enforcing the authority behind them.

The sky knight was no stranger to the danger that lurked in this world. After all, he watched the invasion of the king's stadium first-hand. This threat was greater than he originally thought, and now his new companion suffered from it emotionally. Once Subaki reunited Epictale with his friend... Subaki would find out who was behind this madness once and for all.

"Such a sad, sad sight..." a distorted voice muttered. Subaki and Epictale looked around in a panic, whipping their heads in every direction. They couldn't pinpoint where the voice was coming from. It sounded feminine, but... it also sounded demented. "Isn't it a shame that things had to come to this?"

At this point, Subaki had a gentle hand on Epictale's head, cautiously pulling him as he backed up towards his pegasus. "Come out, come out, wherever you are..." Subaki mumbled to himself. His eyes shifted back-and-forth to see any sign of movement. Now on high alert, Subaki felt his pegasus and mounted it. He gripped Epictale's arm and hoisted the Pokémon up in order to sit behind him.

The contorted voice seemed to be all around them, "I only wanted the Spinda, so it's a real bummer that you had to be involved in this, Subaki... I actually really liked you!" The pegasus snorted as it began trotting forward. Now in the middle of the area, Subaki tightened his grip on his lance. "Now, would you please hand over Epictale? We wouldn't want things to get messy, would we?"

"Ah, so that's your name?" Subaki asked as he turned his head to look at Epictale. "I like it. It's quite fitting for such a courageous adventurer!" he added with a smile. Then, he faced forward again and raised his voice, "As for you, whoever you are... You're not getting the Spinda. You'll have to go through me."

The voice gave an eerie giggle, "Well, that is the plan, after all! You just can't quite get over your big perfect ego, can you? Then that'll be your downfall, I suppose!"

"So I've heard!" Subaki called out with a proud smile. "So, would you like to face my perfection head on, or would you like me to hunt you down and reveal it to your corpse?" Subaki asked as he twirled his lance. Epictale covered his mouth in shock. Such harsh fighting words!

Subaki watched on as a dark figure began emerging from the jungle trees. It was a girl with twin pigtails. She wielded a lance while armor covered various parts of her body. Her bangs covered her right eye, and her left eye was a glowing yellow. It was Peri.

The sky knight's eyes widened at the shocking reveal. It was Peri? What was Peri doing here? And why did she look like this...? "New makeover?" Subaki asked whimsically as he motioned towards her.

Peri's demented voice echoed around them as she smirked, "You could call it an upgrade, I suppose." She continued to walk near the team, clutching her lance with malicious intent.

"Actually, I think I'll just call it the attire before defeat," Subaki quipped nonchalantly. Peri was closing in as an evil smile spread across her dark face. A purple aura was steaming off of her dim appearance.

"You're stalling your doom," Peri stated as she stopped approaching. She put a second hand on her lance and readied herself. "Let's put your money where your perfect mouth is, shall we?"

"You know, there aren't pleasures in fighting my former allies, but..." Subaki swung his lance downward, assuming a fighting stance as he continued, "this fight will be a pleasure to win..." With a grunt, the dark Peri charged at Subaki. Subaki reacted by tugging on his reigns, guiding the pegasus to jump in the air. It flapped its wings over Peri's attack, and it landed behind her. "Epictale, go!" Subaki shouted.

Following orders, the Spinda leapt off of the back of the pegasus. Epictale raised his fist in midair and punched Peri in the back. The punch surprised Peri, causing her to stumble forward. Epictale landed and stepped forward, ready to attack again. Peri was... trying to collect herself. What kind of punch was that...? The girl stumbled around as she held her aching head. Her equilibrium was thrown off-course. Noticing Epictale, she charged at the Pokémon with a raised lance only to trip over her own feet and slam against the ground in the process. Peri hurt herself in her confusion!

"That's what I call a Dizzy Punch..." Subaki uttered in disbelief. Snapping back to action, Subaki charged past Epictale with a lance of his own. His pegasus glided through the air, kicking Peri back down after her attempt to sit up. Peri snapped out of her confusion! The girl rose to her feet, immediately facing Subaki. "Epictale, use Tackle!" Epictale hurriedly leapt at Peri from behind, hugging her tightly when he came in contact with her. He didn't knock Peri over, but it was just enough of a distraction for Subaki to ram her in the face with the dull end of his lance.

Epictale remained in the embrace as every one of Peri's flinches added on to his dizziness. With the Spinda as a formidable distraction, Subaki unleashed multiple jabs with the lance's handle. He didn't want to deal a fatal blow just yet. At this point, Subaki just wanted to knock her unconscious. The dark Peri finally shook Epictale off, and he rolled on the ground as his eyes spiraled in dizziness. With Epictale out of the way, Subaki flipped his lance, now holding the end of the handle like a baseball bat with both hands. His pegasus darted right by Peri, and he swung for the fences. A dull edge of the metal tip collided with Peri's cheek, whipping her head backwards in a violent manner. A cut appeared on her cheekbone, and she hit the ground immediately.

Epictale was still lying on his stomach, trying to recover from his off-balanced phenomenon. Meanwhile, Subaki circled back around and came to a stop right beside Peri's motionless body. Upon closer inspection, Subaki noticed purple blood seeping out of the flesh wound. The blood only leaked for a moment, though, before disappearing in a purple mist. Subaki stared at the unconscious girl, and Epictale slowly waddled over to him carefully. Subaki was... suspicious. Was it really that easy?

Epictale growled angrily as he waddled closer to Peri's body. This was his friend's killer. "Spin!" Epictale yelled as he shoved the corpse. Right as he did, the body's legs began fading away into purple particles. The Pokémon yelped before backing away. Subaki was now alarmed, staring at the disintegrating body. The sky knight glimpsed at Epictale before leaning down to hoist him onto the pegasus again. This was interrupted when a few tree leaves began to rustle.

With a sharp gasp, Subaki's pegasus hopped back as a black arrow shot out of the trees. Epictale stumbled dizzily and barely dodged it. Subaki looked towards the tree line and noticed a figure emerging from it. It was... Peri!? A high-pitched cackle came from her as she aimed the dark cannon at Epictale. The Spinda didn't care, though. He just wanted to fight her. Epictale raised his arms to fight as he began waddling towards Peri. As a second arrow fired, Subaki hurriedly snatched Epictale out of the way.

"Not right now!" Subaki shouted as the pegasus dashed away from Peri. Epictale kept his eyes locked onto Peri as she got smaller in the distance. She waved with a bright, evil grin. The Pokémon glared back with anger. Subaki guided his pegasus through the dense jungle, sprinting as fast as possible. "We'll get her, Epictale..." Subaki mumbled while Epictale hugged his waist tightly, "Trust me."

* * *

The desolate gray sky blocked any form of sunlight. The overcast clouds were stagnant over an abandoned zoo. The cages were broken, and the habitats were empty. A lone creature wandered around the ruined zoo, staring at the ground as it walked. It was an orange cat with a white stomach, holding its own paw as it depressingly strolled. It seemed... lonely.

 _ **Jibanyan**_

Jibanyan, better known as "Jibby", was walking in a melancholic manner as his eyes remained glued on the ground he stepped upon. With the dull surroundings, Jibby wallowed in sadness of the shattered home of his old friends. This zoo was home to many animals that he befriended. However, after the incident, every living thing in the area had disappeared. Just yesterday, all the habitats were ransacked, and Jibby's friends were nowhere to be found. Were they kidnapped? Killed? Did they run away? Why would they want to leave Jibby?

Regardless, the ruined zoo had been abandoned by any visitors that desired to see the attractions. Even the employees had disappeared. What happened to them? Tears dripped down Jibby's cheeks as he continued to walk through rubble. He stopped, though, when he noticed something. The ground was... trembling? Jibby lifted his eyes, noticing various ruins beginning to shake and fall. Was it an earthquake!? The Yo-Kai cat gave a startled gasp as he looked all around. When he looked into the gray sky, he noticed a few purple particles scattering from above. What... were these things? "N-Nya!?" Jibby voiced out as he stumbled backwards.

As the shadow bugs trickled down, they began morphing together into horrid creatures. However, the ground continued to tremble as much as Jibby. What could be causing the tremor? Jibby's world seemed to spiral around as he realized that the creatures surrounded him. He couldn't fight all of these off...!

As Jibby whimpered in fear, a loud "Boom!" sound caught him off-guard. His eyes darted back and forth before noticing a monstrous foot slamming on the ground. It had stepped out of a portal. The portal was the size of an oak tree, and the beast within it seemed just as huge. The Yo-Kai's eyes shook as he continued to stare at the terror. The rift was a dark purple, and nothing could be seen within it; as if it was empty. But the emerging beast seemed to contradict the idea.

Its head was slowly revealed: sharp teeth running all along its open jaw with green eyes glowing right back at Jibby. Its two tusks on either side of its mouth were proof of the beast's pure and insatiable hunger. Four arms came out of the rift; the lower two with pincers and the higher pair with spearheaded tips. It took another step out of the portal as the entryway shrunk into nothing. Jibby was looking face-to-face with the Terror of the Void himself: Cho'Gath.


	10. Ch 10: The Wrath of Cho'Gath

**Chapter 10: The Wrath of Cho'Gath**

Jibby was running as fast as his tiny legs could take him. With the Voidborn trailing behind him, the cat was running for his life. He tried to hide at some points, but Cho'Gath simply devoured any cover that Jibby had. With everything he ate, Cho'Gath instantly grew in size. The SubSpace army was left behind by the predator and its prey. The Primids were irrelevant.

Jibby couldn't control his hysteric panting. The cat was hyperventilating as he sprinted. Purple spikes flew past Jibby's head, barely missing the cat. Jibby yelped at the spikes, continuing to run away in fear. Should he just... give up? Should he stop running? All of a sudden, the ground beneath Jibby ruptured, sending him into the air. With a scream, Jibby was launched with his limbs flailing.

The Yo-Kai landed on the ground with a thud. Jibby lied on the ground, gasping for air. He listened faintly as Cho'Gath's booming footsteps cautiously neared closer and closer. Jibby's eyes could hardly stay open. Was this really it? With all of his friends gone, was it his time too? Wait, what if... this beast was what caused the zoo's catastrophe? Then Jibby needed to avenge them! But... he's too... tired...

Now limp, Cho'Gath used its pincers to lift Jibby into the air. His grueling, demented voice grumbled as he glared at his meal, "Afraid of the dark...?" His mouth formed into a toothy grin as he continued, "Wise! You shall not escape..." Saliva dripped out of Cho'Gath's mouth as he held Jibby closer to his mouth. "Your soul shall feed the Voi—!"

Before Cho'Gath could finish, he was cut off by someone's yelling. It was high-pitched, as if coming from a young boy, "Hey, stupid!" The beast slowly turned to face whoever was calling him out. The person was wearing a large witch hat and a blue robe. They held a book in their gloved hands. The person was a young mage, going by the name of...!

 _ **Ricken**_

He stepped forth, reaching a hand into his robe. Cho'Gath stepped closer, readying to snatch the boy as well. "You're not you when you're hungry! Elwind!" Ricken yelled as he hurled a Snickers™ bar with the use of his wind tome. Before Cho'Gath could react, the candy flew into his mouth. Ricken hurriedly ran towards the beast as Cho'Gath began to stumble. Getting there just in time, Jibby was dropped into Ricken's arms. The mage sat Jibby down before turning his attention back to the Terror of the Void. The monster brought an arm to his head, stepping backwards in confusion. Ricken looked on with a confident smile.

"Do you not understand how my hunger works?" Cho'Gath asked with a hint of sass towards the young mage. Ricken diverted his eyes for a moment and looked back with a shrug. "Dude, I literally can't be NOT hungry. All those animals from the zoo couldn't even satisfy my hunger. Why do you think that candy bar could possibly do anything? You're an imbecile."

"Eh, it was worth a shot," Ricken explained. It was almost like the boy wasn't intimidated by the towering champion in the slightest. "Besides, I don't really wanna fight."

"But I prefer my meal to squirm before I devour it," Cho'Gath replied. "You're not good at this whole 'running away' thing. Your buddy did it better."

"Look, there's plenty of things to eat over there!" Ricken said as he pointed behind Cho'Gath. When the Terror turned around, there was a horde of Primids marching towards the trio. "We're kinda the good guys here, so please reconsider killing us off so soon."

Cho'Gath scoffed before turning around. "Oh, my bad. Yeah, I'll leave you guys alone. I'm not sure what those things are, but... Meh, why not?" With that, Cho'Gath began stomping menacingly towards the horde. Ricken sighed with content as he continued to smile pleasantly.

"That went well, huh?" Ricken asked as he turned to Jibby, "It's good to see you again!" Jibby was still sitting on the ground, trying to get his breath back. The Yo-Kai seemed a bit... sad. So that thing really did eat all of his friends, huh? Did the legendary bird die so easily...? Before Jibby could respond, something caught Ricken's eye. Something was moving atop some of the zoo's rubble. When the boy turned to look, he saw a girl standing there, setting up her dark cannon towards the duo. It was Hunts.

"Long time no see!" Ricken cheered, waving towards the girl. "Had any tea lately?" he asked in a joking manner. Hunts looked like she wasn't in a joking mood, though.

"You know," she started as she continued to tinker with the cannon, "I was gonna go for Jibby. But after that little question, I hope I get a headshot with you."

Ricken laughed in response, not taking any of her words seriously. "I really miss my little encounters with all of you guys!" he added happily. "What game are we gonna play now?" As he joked around, Jibby saw Hunts's cannon revving up. She wasn't kidding. Just before he called out to Ricken, the mage flipped his tome open as a green aura emitted from it. With a determined grin, the boy readied himself for Hunts' onslaught.

An obsidian arrow fired out of the cannon in Ricken's direction. He reacted by conjuring his wind magic, causing the mage to launch himself out of the way. Ricken skidded to a halt, holding a hand towards Hunts and holding his tome in the air. Hunts gave a disdainful glare before firing off a few more arrows. "Elwind!" the boy shouted as his body evaded the projectiles in various directions. Jibby was awestruck as he witnessed the intense chase taking place.

Hunts clicked her tongue before muttering, "Stupid brat..." under her breath. She lifted the cannon and pointed it at Jibby instead. "I'll just pick him off!" Hunts said as the cannon charged. Jibby wanted to move, but his body was frozen in shock. W-What should he do!? Ricken's expression turned more serious now that his friend's life was on the line. He attempted to hurl Elwind at the cat, but his tome wouldn't cooperate.

"O-Out already!?" the boy stuttered. The cannon was giving off a high-pitched charging sound as Hunts squinted at her target. Jibby's indecisiveness took over, and he couldn't move. He could only watch as the weapon before him prepared to end his life. An arrow fired out of the cannon, speeding right towards the Yo-Kai. Just as the projectile approached Jibby, something, or someone, knocked him out of the way. Ricken... threw a book at the cat's head and knocked him to the ground. But hey, it seemed to work!

"You really are a brat. You know that?" Hunts muttered angrily when she glared at Ricken. Ricken simply stood there with a massive grin. Jibby groaned in pain as he put a paw on the back of his aching head. "Here's what's gonna happen," Hunts demanded, "You're gonna come with me, or Cho'Gath over there is gonna finish devouring all of those pesky minions and come over here for desert."

"Does that mean he liked my candy bar?"

"What? No. It means that you two are going to die. You can't outrun Cho'Gath. You need a vehicle like mine. I'm not doing this to hurt you; I'm doing this for your own good. Please, make this easy, and join me. Lucina and I came here to save you. I knew about this plan; about Cho'Gath. This entire invasion that's going on, we're trying to stop it." Hunts's performance was remarkable. She lied right through her teeth.

"Th-Then where's Lucinya?" Jibby questioned skeptically. First this girl was trying to kill them, and now she wants to save them?

"She's guarding the aircraft. If those minions hijack it, we're all going down." She paused, sighing in dismay. "We're trying to reunite everyone. We need to work together if we're going to fight against whoever's behind this invasion. Please, join us."

"Hey, I wanna reunite with the others!" Ricken shouted happily. "C'mon, Jibby, we gotta get outta here as fast as possible!" Jibby looked up at his friend with suspicion. Ricken grabbed the Yo-Kai by his paw and ran towards Hunts. Hunts hoisted her cannon over her shoulder and hopped down the rubble she was standing on.

"Just follow me," Hunts ordered. "We have to work quickly." With those words, the three of them darted in a direction. Jibby knew something was off, but he believed Ricken had the better judgment. As they ran away, a yellow hovercraft could be seen. Ricken was grinning, but Jibby noticed something peculiar. Was that a cage? A-And was that Lucina!? The blue-haired princess was motionless, save for the slow breathing. It was as if she was asleep. Except, the aggravated expression on her face pointed away from a peaceful slumber.

"Hmmm..." Ricken mumbled in thought, "Looks to me like Lucina is sleeping on the job!" The boy didn't seem to bat an eye, but instead seemed to accept the idea that Lucina could somehow guard the aircraft while being caged. Meanwhile, Hunts was already climbing into the open cockpit. "Stay here," Ricken muttered softly to a petrified Jibby. Then, the boy hustled over with a bright smile. "Lucina! Lucina! Hey, hey!"

A sinister smirk flashed across Hunts' face as the giant mechanical arm began to move. "Here, I'll lift you guys back there." The top of the cage slid open as the arm maneuvered around.

Then, Ricken immediately turned to Jibby. "Run!" he shouted urgently. "Run now!" Following orders, the cat hurriedly sprinted in the other direction. This was useless, though, as Hunts had a vehicle at her disposal. Operating the hovercraft, Hunts sped towards the fleeing Yo-Kai. Ricken was prepared. As Hunts flew by, Ricken latched onto the mechanical arm himself. With his weight, the claw was uncontrollable.

"What're you—!?" Hunts yelled angrily. She tried to throw him off by swinging the arm wildly, but Ricken held on with all the strength he could muster. After a few seconds, Hunts began spinning the vehicle haphazardly. As stubborn as he was, Ricken's grip never faltered. Instead, he was actually laughing as if he was on a carnival ride. With the successful distraction, Jibby was able to run away and disappear behind some rubble.

With some cover, Jibby cautiously peeked out from behind. He could see the scene from there. With a distant yell, Ricken was thrown off of the vehicle. He struggled as the metal claw latched around his body, immobilizing the boy. Ricken squirmed and jolted, but he couldn't wiggle loose. Jibby could only watch as his friend was lifted and dropped inside of Hunts's cage.

* * *

A lone person sped through the sky on their hoverboard. It was the figure from the stadium's attack. Below the figure was an army of SubSpace creatures marching towards a castle. Various arrows and cannonballs were launched from the castle, taking out a minuscule portion of the creatures. Led by the mysterious figure, the army had one goal in mind: to wipe out any sign of life within the royal family's abode.

With the events from the Day of Challenging, no members of the royal family were present for this invasion. The only leaders left were appointed generals, but nobody could've prepared for this attack. As far as the eye could see, the entire battleground was flooded by a sea of creatures and a cloud of purple particles. The forerunners had already reached the castle's gates, and soldiers were already slaughtered. The new battle was raging on.


	11. Ch 11: The Genocide

**Chapter 11: The Genocide**

Jibby's heart pounded as he hid behind the zoo's rubble. His chest rose and fell rapidly while he tried to regulate his breathing. With Hunts tracking him down, the Yo-Kai knew it was only a matter of time before he would end up like Ricken. Why did Ricken sacrifice himself to save Jibby? Why? What importance did Jibby serve to be saved?

Tears dripped out of the cat's eyes. His lip quivered as he continued to think about his friend's sacrifice. "I-I have to avenge him..." Jibby muttered, "I have to get Ricken back...!" After his pumped up words, Jibby lifted his head as he drifted off into imagination. How is he supposed to get Ricken back? What's his game plan? Out of the corner of his eye, Jibby noticed a dark figure standing across from him in the tunnel of their rubble. "Ah!" The Yo-Kai yelped before covering his mouth with a paw.

"'Sup, dude," a ginger teen greeted with a nod. The boy was in black and gray clothing, sporting a bandana.

 _ **Gaius**_

The cool and collected Gaius had been leaning against a wall of ruins without Jibby even noticing. His speech was a bit slurred from the lollipop in his mouth as he looked Jibby from head to toe, "You look kinda worried about somethin'. Want a Jolly Rancher? I've got a few in my boot somewhere. Hold on."

The cat had a disgusted expression plastered on his face as Gaius bent towards his own footwear. "N-Nyat right nyow..." Jibby protested, causing the thief to pause his squatting.

With a shrug, Gaius continued anyway. "Suit yourself, man," he mumbled as he began rummaging through his right boot. Jibby diverted his eyes awkwardly, trying not to stare at Gaius as he pulled a Jolly Rancher out of its unsanitary abode. With a bit of an uncomfortable silence, the thief unwrapped the candy and popped it into his mouth with the lollipop still present. With two candies in his mouth, Gaius's speech was even more slurred, "S'wat brirnggs yew heere?"

Jibby shuddered slightly before answering the question. "I-I was running away from Hunts..." he stuttered out, "She a-already got Ricken."

"Dayng..." Gaius mumbled, "Tha sucksh."

"B-But nyow I wannya avenge him!" Jibby cheered. "I'm gonnya get him back!" The cat's determination had increased exponentially at the thought of saving his friend. "He saved my life awhile ago... But nyow, I will save him! He's my friend, so I will do everything in my power to—!"

His triumphant words were cut off by Gaius's choking. The thief coughed repeatedly as he pounded his chest. When the Jolly Rancher flew out of his mouth, Gaius calmed down and leaned against his wall again. "You were saying?"

"Erm..." Jibby voiced, "I nyeed your help to find Hunts..."

"I mean, I'd totally help you out, my man, but," as Gaius spoke, he took the lollipop out of his mouth, "I need the right price, y'know?"

Jibby wore a dejected face before perking up again with a bright idea. "Ricken has Snyickers!"

"Deal!" Gaius exclaimed as he vigorously shook Jibby's paw.

* * *

A silent male was cautiously stepping through a quiet corridor. Everywhere he looked, there was nothing but lifeless soldiers. They were all cruelly massacred. Each of them died in various ways. From what the male could see, some were bludgeoned, some were electrocuted, some were stabbed, some were sliced, and some were completely mutilated beyond comprehension. So, how was this young man still alive? Well, he arrived at the party too late. He missed the genocide.

 **Cloud Strife**

"What happened here?" Cloud asked himself as he stepped around the bodies. His massive sword was secured on his back, but Cloud was more than ready to access it if the situation was to arise. The reason that Cloud visited the castle in the first place was because he heard it was the Day of Challenging. Honestly, he had no idea how to sign up, so he decided to actually go to Chrom's castle personally. Little to his knowledge, though, there was nobody here that could answer his questions.

As he surveyed the scene, something caught Cloud's attention. The swordsman heard something moving. Instinctually, Cloud's hand jumped for the sword that was mounted on his back. Quiet as ever, the male was on high alert. Something was alive inside of this dead castle. His body was turned to face the source of the noise, and he saw nothing but a pile of bricks and stones. He was ready to take down whatever could be within it or behind it.

Suddenly, by the grace of his experience in battle, the whistle of a swinging sword sounded from behind. Cloud ducked immediately as the blade whipped right above his head. Without the evading dodge, his head would've been tumbling on the ground. Cloud unsheathed his sword, and he faced the monster in front of him head-on. It was a grotesque SubSpace creature: an Armight.

The Armight was a levitating body. It sported a medieval knight's helmet, and its two tentacle arms wielded a sharp blade in each. A red cape was attached to the back of its round, blue body. Two beady eyes glared at Cloud while it readied another attack. This time, Cloud was prepared. Before the Armight could execute its attack, however, Cloud swung his sword upward and cut the enemy in half. As the two halves separated, they dissolved into purple particles.

Before he knew it, Cloud was surrounded by a group of Armights. They each gave a bellowing chuckle before summoning blades of their own. Cloud's eyes widened as they darted around at the approaching Armight circle. Was he looking for somewhere to run? Oh boy... definitely not. That was not how Cloud rolled.

In a sudden spurt, Cloud leapt at one of the Armights with his sword in hand. He brought the sword down heavily onto the Armight, killing it in a single blow. When Cloud hit the ground, he somersaulted before spinning around to slaughter the others. Who do these things think they are? One sped towards him, but Cloud sidestepped around it with ease. He didn't keep his attention on it for long, though, as he hurriedly looked for the next onslaught. Sure enough, a second Armight came hurdling towards Cloud. A smirk tugged at his lips as he hopped over the enemy and shoved his sword into it.

Cloud landed, and he saw the first Armight barreling back at him again. With three ferocious swipes of his sword, Cloud decimated it with ease. Now back in the middle of the circle, four Armights charged in various directions. The swordsman clenched his jaw and analyzed the situation. When the Armights neared, he slid underneath one and unleashed a flurry of Cross-Slashes from behind. With one down, Cloud sent a Blade Beam at the others. They each separated around the green projectile and charged at Cloud.

Where practically anyone else would run away, Cloud gripped the Buster Sword even tighter. He hopped a short distance, quickly swinging his sword in a circular motion around his body. Though it wasn't a big blow, it effectively spaced all three away. When he landed, Cloud followed up with a dash attack. One of the Armights was sliced by the thrusting attack, so it faded away into a purple mist. When Cloud looked back at the remaining pair, he saw two blades flying right at him.

The blond male hurriedly sidestepped around the first projectile, and he jumped over the second. As the Armight brought out another pair of blades, the other one charged at Cloud. "Idiots like you never learn, do they?" Cloud quipped before preparing a defensive attack. As the oncoming Armight swung its blade, Cloud rolled behind it. He followed the maneuver with an attack of his own. Like clockwork, Cloud's blade had taken down the second-to-last Armight.

As the enemy faded away, a blue aura began to surround the swordsman. His limit had been broken. Cloud glared at the remaining Armight, but it didn't seem to be intimidated. It was almost like the Armight was mindless. Cloud sprinted towards the enemy with violent intent. With a battlecry, he lunged the Buster Sword right into the Armight's body, immediately leaping upward. After Cloud's Climhazzard attack, the Armight diminished into nothing.

Cloud landed on the castle's floor in a three-point stance like the cool, tough guy he was. Why would these enemies be any match for a high-tier fighter like Cloud? After a breath or two, Cloud rose back to his feet. "Naturally..." he whispered to himself as he heaved a victorious sigh. Job well done!

Now that the enemies were taken care of, the swordsman continued his cautious walk through the castle. Everywhere he turned, there was destruction. Hundreds of deceased soldiers were sprawled across the ground with pain and anguish plastered onto their faces. The merciless massacre had doomed the castle's last defense against the cruel ambush. Cloud respected their deaths, but this was no time to mourn. Who sent those awful creatures that presumably killed so many people?

Cloud's face fell when he saw a child laying lifelessly on the ground as well. The young boy couldn't have been but eight years old, and he was clutching what Cloud could only assume to be the boy's father. Whoever attacked this royal abode wasn't just here to assassinate the royal family, but instead, to unleash raw, pure wrath. This wasn't just an ambush: this was total war. Had Cloud stuck himself into the middle of it? Perhaps. From what he could tell, though, he was more than willing to fight on the family's side. The emotionless tyrant that caused this needed to die. Cloud vowed that to himself.

The blond found himself creeping up a stairwell. In fact, it seemed that he had been making his way upwards for quite awhile. The stairwell's red carpet was stained with even darker blood. Before he knew it, the aroma of decaying flesh had started to sneak its way into Cloud's nostrils. He wasn't a stranger to it, though. Conditioned by the fields of battle, Cloud was familiar with this disgusting smell. Whether it was ally or enemy, everyone bled the same way. Everyone was human, and that stuck with the soldier. However, he still recognized that bloodshed was necessary. Sometimes, it's the only solution. But in this moment... bloodshed could've been avoided. These valiant men didn't need to die.

Cloud tightened his grip on the Buster Sword. He was frustrated. Did the king have quarrel with this enemy? Was there an injustice done to this enemy? He knew Chrom. He knew that Chrom couldn't have done anything so cruel to deserve this. Does either king even know about this? Are they dead as well? If anyone was determined to get to the bottom of this, it was Cloud himself. These actions were inexcusable.

As Cloud reached the top, he felt a cool breeze from the wind. His hair fluttered slightly while the swordsman made his way towards the edge of the castle's roof. Utilizing the height as a watch tower of sorts, Cloud looked out across the barren land. There were even more dead soldiers. Not just that, but there were catapults, arrows, and ruin riddled across the dirt.

Something peculiar caught his eye. There was a cloaked figure, and he was hovering over the ground next to a large, silver sphere. Two black-and-white bears had their claws injected into the sphere. With a tug, the ball was opened, and the figure soon levitated away. That's when Cloud noticed what it was: a bomb.


End file.
